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Phillips Bible Institute Series 

of Efficiency Text-books for Bible Schools and Churches 


First Year’s Course 

HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER—By Martin L. 
Pierce 

HOW TO BE SAVED—By M. M. Davis 

HOW TO BUILD AN IDEAL BIBLE SCHOOL-By P. H. 
Welshimer 

Second Year’s Course 

HOW THE DISCIPLES BEGAN AND GREW-By M. M. 
Davis 

HOW TO PROMOTE CHRISTIAN UNION—By Frederick 
D. Kershner 

HOW TO BECOME AN EFFICIENT SUNDAY-SCHOOL 
TEACHER By Prof. Wm. A. McKeever 

Each, cloth, 12mo, net, $1.00, postpaid. 

Paper, 50c., postage 10c. extra. 


These text-books were prepared especially for Efficiency Classes 
to be conducted by the local church; for Organized Bible-school 
Classes and for Teacher-training Classes. They can be ordered 
from the Phillips Bible Institute , Canton, O., or The Standard 
Publishing Company, Cincinnati , O. 


7 







PHILLIPS BIBLE INSTITUTE SERIES 
of Efficiency Text-books for Bible Schools and Churches 


How to Set the Church 
in Order 


A Hand-book on Church Officers 
and Organization 


By 

MARTIN LUTHER PIERCE 

Chancellor of Phillips Bible Institute 



Cincinnati 

The Standard Publishing Company 



Copyright, 1914, by 
The Standard Publishing Company 



mi 


©CI.A374217 
- f * 


To my wife 
Ina Ballenger Pierce 



FOREWORD 

“Of the making of many books there is no end.” 
It is fortunate for us that this is true, since our 
human lives are constantly in need of a vision. 
This very often must be along some specific line. 
Best of all, God makes ready through man’s heart 
and hand the needful message of inspiration and 
uplift. 

Every edifice which is to endure must have 
foundation-stones uncrumbling. The qualities of 
every noble life have their base in the Divine Law. 
The placing of these basic rocks—that he who 
runs may read and may more easily understand 
the simple plans of the New Testament Church and 
a sufficient training of himself; that he may have 
no cause to be ashamed as he has builded a lively 
stone into the structure of the Church of the living 
God—is the purpose of the excellent chapters form¬ 
ing this book by Prof. Martin L. Pierce. 

This volume was begotten of an enthusiastic 
desire to bring that efficient aid to thousands who 
feel keenly the importance of the great work to 
which they have been called and their own inability 
to perform the task; and, realizing something of 
the demands that are being made upon those who 
are to be leaders in Christian work, are ready to 
fit themselves for efficient service. 


vi 


FOREWORD 


Few are better fitted to bring such a message 
than Professor Pierce. Out of the years of his 
rich experience as a teacher he has written these 
inspiring chapters, teeming as they do with the 
spirit of the efficient life. The author realizes full 
well that there are many faithful ones who lack 
only the knowledge of how to accomplish the great¬ 
est good and at the same time obtain the largest 
results. The book is an outflowing of his heart, in 
this respect, and sets forth in concrete form just 
such fundamental material as is necessary to the 
development of efficient men and women for service 
in the Church. 

These are days of efficiency in the work of the 
Church. The demand for this is made on all sides, 
and no one need hope to be entrusted with responsi¬ 
bility unless he is fitted for it. The spirit is an 
indication of that hopeful optimism so prophetic of 
better things. Efficiency is that fitness for worthy 
tasks which grows out of consecrated preparation, 
and brings results—the effectual course that grips 
and holds. 

That Church is best conserving its heaven-born 
mission which fits its several members as intelligent 
and effectual workmen in a world sadly in need of 
Christian service. Nor does it forget to nurture 
into efficient life its new-born babe. It has a vision 
of its place in the community’s life as a responsi¬ 
bility thereto and an unquenchable desire to fulfill 
all its obligations, realizing that to be a profitable 
servant it must give to the world an effectual 
service many-fold more than it gets out of it. 


FOREWORD 


vii 

This timely book in this busy age, dealing as it 
does with the fundamental phases of the Church’s 
work upon which successful endeavor depends, is 
well adapted to meet those needs in setting forth 
clearly Christ’s divinely planned institution and 
man’s part in its mission. In very concise and most 
readable form it brings to the individual the very 
inspiration and information he most needs to be an 
approved workman. The great end of life, after 
all, is not only to think, but to act. Not only to 
be learned, but to be good and noble. Accordingly, 
the crowning merit of a book must always be its 
practical usefulness, and as such may God speed 
this book on its mission of service. 

W. T. Fisher. 

Phillips Bible Institute, March, 1914, 

























































































































CONTENTS 

i. 

PREPARATORY WORK OF OUR LORD. 

PAGE 

The Three Dispensations—Fullness of Time—The 
Advent—False Hope of the Jews—The Law and the 
Gospel—As God’s Son—H's Authority—As a Teacher 
—His Attitude Toward Sin—As Our Example—The 
Death of Christ—'Prophetic Symbolism—Its Purpose— 

As Mediator. 1 

II. 

THE CHURCH AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

Introduction—Baptism of the Holy Spirit—What Was 
It—Baptism of the Holy Spirit—What Was It For—To 
Prepare Apostles—In Order to Teach All Nations—To 
Admit the Gentiles—Gifts of the Holy Spirit—When 
These Gifts Ended—Operation of the Holy Spirit—In 
Conversion—In Perfecting Christians—In Special Provi¬ 
dence—Witness of the Holy Spirit—The Holy Spirit’s 
Relation to the World. 17 


III. 

THE CHURCH. 

New Testament Designations for the Church—When 
Established—Looking to the Future—Looking to the 
Past—Where Established—By Whom Established—The 
Apostles—As Guided by the Spirit—Its Foundation— 
Its Head—Its Designs—The Ordinances—Baptism—The 
Lord’s Supper—The Lord’s Day—Its Creed—Its Wor¬ 
ship—Its Unity—Its Blessings for All—Its Destiny. 

lx 


33 





X 


CONTENTS 


IV. 

MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH. 

Why Membership is Required—Conditions of Mem¬ 
bership—Faith—Repentance—Confession—'Baptism—Du¬ 
ties of Members—To Preach the Gospel—To Grow—To 
Worship—Privileges of Members—P r a y e r—Fasting— 
Edification—Opportunities of Members—To Serve—To 
Teach . 


V. 

THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH. 

Its Significance—Its Division—Apostles—Their Work 
—Their Qualifications—Prophets—Evangelists—T heir 
Duties—Timothy’s Work Summarized—E1 d e r s—The 
Terms Explained—Their Duties—Their Qualifications— 
Deacons—Their Duties—Their Qualifications—O t h e r 
Officers—Their Duties—Their Qualifications. 

VI. 

THE ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNMENT 
OF THE CHURCH. 

Introduction—How to Start a Church—Ordination of 
Officers—Form of Ordination—Order of Ordination— 
How Select Officers—Term of Office—Church Discipline 
—Its Purpose—Method of Procedure—Why Often Neg¬ 
lected—Congregational Independence—Right to Co-oper¬ 
ate—Things to Remember. 


VII. 

THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD. 

God’s Eternal Purpose—Old Testament Proof of 
God’s Purpose—'New Testament Proof of God’s Pur¬ 
pose—The Purpose Accomplished—Completion of God’s 





CONTENTS 


xi 


Purpose—The Need of Our Day—A Missionary Church 
—A Comprehensive Plan—Native Church Co-operation 
—Our Foreign Neighbor—The Sinful—The Call for an 
Unspotted Church. 101 


VIII. 

THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY. 

Practical Religion—Righteousness—As Taught by 
Moses—As Taught by the Prophets—As Taught by Our 
Lord—Jesus Not a Socialist—Universal Peace—The 
Christian Home—Child Labor—Poverty—The Working¬ 
man—Temperance—An Endless Procession. 117 

IX. 

THE CHURCH AND THE PREACHER. 

The Office—The Call—The Qualifications—Spiritual 
—Educational—Social—Business—How the Preacher’s 
Time Should be Employed—The Preacher and the 
Church Officers—Compensation—Trials—Temptations— 
Rewards . 135 


X. 

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 
FOR RELIGIOUS WORKERS. 

A Lesson to be Learned—The Present Situation and 
Need—Present Difficulties—P resent Responsibility— 
Work to be Done in Local Congregation—The Social 
Meeting—The Church Institute—The Church School— 

The Lay Preacher—What He is Doing—How Develop 
Him—Work to be Done Through Educational Insti¬ 
tutions—Church Schools and Colleges—The Atmosphere 
a Church School Owes Its Students—The Ministerial 
Student—Your Timothy. 151 






xii 


CONTENTS 


XI. 

THE CHURCH AND EVANGELISM. 

Introduction—Personal Evangelism—Individual Re¬ 
sponsibility—Philip the Introducer—Qualifications for 
Such Work—Allegiance—Sympathy—Its Power—Some 
Well-known Result s—Educational Evangelism—Why 
Neglected—The Process of This Evangelism—Education 
and Christian Character—Evangelism by Revival—Its 
Method—Its Abuse—The Need of the Hour. 165 

XII. 

THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT. 

The End Sought—The Conflict—Death—The Resur¬ 
rection of the Body—The Last Judgment—The Reward 
of the Righteous—Immortality—The Sunless City. 179 




I. 


PREPARATORY WORK OF OUR 

LORD 


( 2 ) 


OUTLINE—CHAPTER I. 


1. The Three Dispensations. 

2. Fullness of Time. 

3. The Advent. 

4. False Hope of the Jews. 

5. The Law and the Gospel. 

6. As God’s Son. 

a. His Authority. 

b. As a Teacher. 

7 . His Attitude Towards Sin. 

8. As Our Example. 

9. The Death of Christ. 

a. Prophetic Symbolism. 

b. Its Purpose. 

10 . As Mediator. 


2 


Preparatory Work of Our Lord. 


1. The Three 
Dispensations 


God has given to the world 
three different revelations. The 
first was the Patriarchal. It was 


given to all people during the early history of the 
race. Its priests were the elders in the family and 
tribe. The universality of sacrifice proves the uni¬ 
versality of this revelation. Even though it was 
debased by various forms of idolatrous worship, it 
still retains some of the marks of its divine origin. 
This religion is still in force in many places. It 
can only be displaced by the introduction of Chris¬ 
tianity. Second, God revealed himself through a 
special revelation to the Jewish nation. This revela^ 
tion was for them only. It can nowhere be found 
where they were ever instructed to give this revela¬ 
tion to the whole world. Much of the Patriarchal 
revelation was carried over, restated and embodied 
in the Jewish revelation. The law of the Jewish 
revelation was given on Mount Sinai, and continued 
in force until it was nailed to the cross. Its pur¬ 
pose was to prepare the world for a higher con¬ 
ception of God and to be a schoolmaster to lead 
the world to a fuller and higher revelation. Third, 
God revealed himself through his Son. This rev¬ 
elation was for all nations and for all time. The 


4 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


Christian religion was a new religion. It differed 
fundamentally from all the religions of the world, 
including the two previous dispensations. This re¬ 
ligion demanded not sacrifice as did they, but faith 
in and obedience to its founder. 


When Jesus was born in Beth¬ 
lehem, the nations of the earth 
were looking towards Judea for 


2. Fullness of 
Time 


a spiritual deliverer. Each nation in its turn had 
tried to gratify its longings for a higher life, by 
resorting to what seemed to them to be most worth 
while. The Oriental kingdoms had resorted to 
luxury. They had reveled in wealth. Nations of 
people had, by the sacrifice of their lives, con¬ 
structed the walls of Nineveh and the hanging 
gardens of Babylon. With each new enterprise, 
restlessness and discontentment had been intensi¬ 
fied. With the coming of Greece, a new avenue 
was opened. For them, the supreme thing was 
social and intellectual culture. During this time the 
world’s greatest painters, greatest writers and great¬ 
est sculptors were produced. Contests of physical 
strength and endurance occupied the attention of 
the remotest tribes, but of no avail. Grecian culture 
crumbled to the earth, and the nation fell back into 
obscurity because its spiritual standards were base 
and low. The ambition of Rome was the conquest 
of the world. A universal empire was the dream 
of every Roman citizen. At last, when this had 
been all but realized, she found that it did not 
satisfy. Her citizens became corrupt; her highest 
offices were sold to the highest bidder. At such a 


PREPARATORY WORK OF OUR LORD 


5 


3. The Advent 


time our Lord made his appearance among men. 

“Hail! thou that art highly 
favored,” was the beginning of 
the salutation of the angel that appeared unto Mary, 
the mother of our Lord. It seems that she did not 
understand the significance of the angel’s words. 
She knew, however, that the message had come 
from God, and was satisfied to wait for the fulfill¬ 
ment of the announcement. Micah, in his prophecy, 
had foretold that Jesus was to be born in Bethle¬ 
hem. A call had gone out for a census for all of 
the Roman Empire. The Jews were to go to their 
native cities. For this census, Joseph and Mary 
came to the village of Bethlehem. Here, Jesus was 
bom. A manger was his cradle. The Wise Men 
from the East, following their star, came to this 
manger and presented their gifts. The shepherds, 
watching their flocks by night, heard the wonderful 
proclamation of the angels: “Glory to God in the 
highest, and on earth peace, good will towards 
men.” Simeon and Anna were assured that their 
earnest longings had been satisfied when Jesus was 
presented at the Temple. Simeon rejoiced because 
his eyes had seen the salvation of God; and Anna 
“gave thanks unto God, and spake of him to all 
that were looking for the redemption of Jerusa¬ 
lem.” Jesus grew up in Nazareth, being obedient 
unto his parents. At about thirty he began his pub¬ 
lic ministry. He went to the river Jordan and sub¬ 
mitted himself to baptism, at the hands of John, 
saying that it behooved him to fulfill all right¬ 
eousness. After this he went into the wilderness 


6 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


and there endured the threefold temptation. Here 
he was tempted in all points as we, yet without 
sin. The word “J ESUS ” means Saviour. The name 
“Christ” signifies anointed. The first was a proper 
name; the second identified our Lord with the Mes¬ 
siah who had been foretold by all of the prophets. 

The prophets had set forth 
J^w$° clearly and distinctly all of the 
important facts concerning the 
advent of the promised Messiah. The place of his 
birth had been mentioned. The time of his coming 
had been made known by them. His mission and 
purpose had been definitely written down. All of 
these statements had been misinterpreted by the 
teachers and the leaders of the Jewish nation. They 
looked for one having a great reputation; but the 
record tells us that Jesus made himself of no repu¬ 
tation. They looked for a ruler and a master such 
as David had been to the nation; but our Saviour 
came in the form of a servant. They thought he 
would compel obedience from all of the nations, 
but the Son of God became obedient unto death. 
They thought he was to rule a universal kingdom; 
but the Son of man refused to be made king. They 
thought he was to have wealth and splendor; but 
for our sakes he became poor. They thought that 
all the world would recognize him; but the son of 
David came unto his own and his own received him 
not. These misrepresentations will account for the 
constant conflict which was carried on between our 
Lord and the rulers of the Jewish nation. The fact 
that he did fulfill Jewish prophecy accounts for 


PREPARATORY WORK OF OUR LORD 


7 


the fact that the common people heard him gladly. 


“For the law of the Spirit of 
life in Christ Jesus made me free 
from the law of sin and of death. 


5. The Law and 
the Gospel 


For what the law could not do, in that it was weak 
through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the 
likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin 
in the flesh” (Rom. 8:2, 3). The law was a school¬ 
master to lead us to Christ. The law made man 
fear God and tremble before Him for his own 
disobedience. The gospel revealed God’s love to 
the world. “God so loved the world that he gave 
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on 
him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 
The gospel sets forth God’s lovingkindness and his 
mercy. On the night when the Hebrews went out 
of Egypt, they celebrated their first Passover. The 
paschal lamb was slain and the blood sprinkled on 
the door-posts. As a result, the angel of death 
passed over their houses and visited only those of 
the Egyptians. Fifty days later the law was given. 
At that time three thousand were slain for disobe¬ 
dience. Paul calls Christ our Passover because he 
was sacrificed for us. Fifty days after this sacri¬ 
fice the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles 
and those waiting with them. On this day, three 
thousand accepted the mercies that this sacrifice had 
provided for them. The law was for one nation 
and one people. The gospel was for the nations 
of the earth. The law taught hatred of one’s 
enemies. The gospel teaches us to love those who 
despite fully use us. The law says, “An eye for 


8 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


an eye and a tooth for a tooth;” but the gospel tells 
us, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain 
mercy/’ The law knew little of immortality and the 
future life. By means of the gospel, immortality 
has been brought to light. 

The testimony which Christ 
6. As God s Son g ave the w orld he gave not 

of himself, but of God. “For God sent not his 
Son into the world to judge the world, but that the 
world should be saved through him.” Jesus, as 
the Son of man, means sympathizer and a friend 
of mankind. Jesus, as a Son of God, means a 
Saviour and a Redeemer for mankind. This fact 
is the fundamental proof of the Christian religion. 
Jesus, as the Son of God, is the center of all 
revelation, to which all other facts concerning our 
Lord are related. When performing his miracles, 
he made it clear that the works which he did were 
done by the Father working through him. When 
men doubted his claim, he appealed to his works 
for vindication. None but the Son of God could 
command the waves to be still; could open the eyes 
of the young man born blind; could raise the dead 
to life and could make white the flesh of those 
suffering from leprosy. John, in his first Epistle, 
says: “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the 
Son of God, God dwelleth in him and he in God.” 
As a Son of God, he is to be worshiped and hon¬ 
ored. This worship is expected and required by 
his Father. 

a. His Authority. As the Son of God, all 
authority was committed into his hands. In Mat- 


PREPARATORY WORK OF OUR LORD 


9 


thew we read: “And it came to pass, when Jesus 
had ended these sayings, the people were astonished 
at his doctrine; for he taught them as one having 
authority, and not as the scribes/’ The fundamental 
difference set forth in this passage is signified by 
the word “authority.” The scribes and Pharisees 
sat in the seat of Moses. While teaching, they were 
continually turning to the law and to the prophets 
for proof concerning their teachings. Jesus, when 
teaching, would preface his remarks with “I say 
unto you.” He referred to no man, to no position, 
to no authority, to substantiate his teachings. The 
authority of Jesus was the authority of testimony. 
He spoke the things which he knew. His knowl¬ 
edge and intuition covered the entire field of moral 
and religious teaching. At every point Jesus op¬ 
posed the method of the scribes. With him there 
was no hesitation; there was no doubt. Geikie 
says: “No wonder that when He had finished his 
address the multitude were astonished at his teach¬ 
ings. They had been accustomed to the tame and 
slavish servility of the rabbis, with their dread of 
varying a word from precedent and authority; their 
cobwebbery of endless sophistries and verbal tri¬ 
fling ; their laborious definitions on the infinitely 
little and their unconscious oversight of all that 
could affect the heart.” The highest recommenda¬ 
tion for a preacher or Bible-school teacher is that 
he has a “thus saith the Lord” for his public in¬ 
struction. 

b. As a Teacher. Having come with this au¬ 
thority, it is only natural that teaching would be the 


10 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


characteristic work of Jesus. He had no church to 
preach in nor pulpit to preach from. He did not go 
about the country holding revival meetings, as do our 
evangelists. He differed from the ancient teachers in 
that he identified himself with no school or system 
of philosophy. The following passages indicate this 
clearly: “Coming into his own country, he taught 
them in their synagogues.” “Jesus said to the mul¬ 
titudes, ... I sat daily with you teaching from the 
temple.” “On the sabbath day, he entered into the 
synagogue and taught.” If we examine all of the 
passages which refer to the teaching and preaching 
of our Lord, we shall find that he did it wherever 
and whenever an opportunity was presented. Often 
he delivered his most valued discourses to a single 
listener. This was true in the case of Nicodemus 
and the woman at the well. All of his teaching was 
done orally and in a manner that would be called 
conversational. His theme was always the coming 
Kingdom. His parables illustrated its growth and 
value. In performing his miracles, he taught the 
multitude that the Son of man had power to for¬ 
give sins. During his conversation with Nicodemus, 
he set forth some of the most important facts of 
the new birth. It is only as we look upon him as 
the great Teacher that we are able to comprehend 
most fully the work which he did while among men. 


In all of our Lord’s teachings 
we see this attitude clearly set 
forth. The Jews, at the time of 


7. His Attitude 
Towards Sin 


Christ, were amazed because he associated with 
publicans and sinners. At that time there were 


PREPARATORY WORK OF OUR LORD 11 


but two ways of looking at sin. One was a severe 
way. When sin had been committed, the greatest 
amount of punishment possible was to be inflicted 
upon the offending party. The second way was that 
of false liberalism. This way said: “Eat, drink and 
be merry, for to-morrow we may die/’ It looked 
upon this life as being the beginning and end of 
man’s career. Christ introduced a new and third 
way of viewing guilt. It differed from both of 
these. His standard of right was higher than the 
law in that it went back to the intents of the heart. 
He taught that righteousness is the path to greatest 
happiness. Christ’s solicitude for the sinful was 
based upon personal affection. He loved the woman 
at the well, and he loved sin-sick Mary. Christ 
went into the home of Zacchaeus because Zacchaeus. 
needed him. He tells us definitely that he came 
to seek and to save that which was lost. Jesus 
raised men from their sins by showing to them his 
own holy life and not by abusing them for their 
own shortcomings. This is a most worthy example 
for us. He has told us: “And I, if I be lifted up 
from the earth, shall draw all men unto me.’’ Mul¬ 
titudes of sin-sick people are about us. They need 
our sympathy and love. Let us manifest towards 
them the same attitude that was manifested to¬ 
wards the sinful, by our Lord. 


In all other things, as well, 
Christ is to be our example. The 
difficulty with so many of us is 


8. As Our 
Example 


that we take each other for our examples, in Chris¬ 
tian living, instead of taking Christ. He has been 


12 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


given unto us as our perfect model. “Be ye there¬ 
fore followers of God, as dear children; and walk 
in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given 
himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God 
for a sweetsmelling savour” (Eph. 5:1, 2). We are 
here enjoined to be followers of God, as dear chil¬ 
dren. Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, requests 
that they follow him even as he was a follower of 
Christ. When riding on a railway train, it is im¬ 
possible for us to know how rapidly we are travel¬ 
ing so long as we look at the other passengers in 
the car. We must look out of the window and 
note how rapidly we are passing through villages, 
fields and forests. So long as we measure ourselves 
by ourselves, we do not know how far short we 
come from the standards which God has set up for 
us. We must take God’s word and study the life 
of his Son, and then be constrained to live like him. 
At this very point the ethical religions of the world 
fall down. They have nothing but a man to point 
to as an example. At this same point the moralist 
comes short. He would become righteous by elim¬ 
inating each day imperfections from his life. His 
whole attention is centered on self. This hinders 
and stops spiritual growth. God would have us 
forget self and reach out towards the example we 
have in Christ, in order that we might fulfill our 
highest spiritual possibilities. 


a . Prophetic Symbolism. 
The tragedy of Calvary is the 
tragedy of tragedies. We learn 


9. The Death of 
Christ 


from the word of God that it dates back into the 


PREPARATORY WORK OF OUR LORD 13 


councils of eternity. He was a Lamb that was slain 
from the foundation of the world. This tragedy 
was foretold by all of the prophets. In Isaiah the 
climax is reached. A violent death is here vividly 
described. He is said to have been slain for our 
transgressions and to have been bruised for our 
iniquities. Each year, when the high priests went 
into the Holy of Holies, they offered a sacrifice for 
the sins of the people. These sins were not blotted 
out, but rolled back to the time of this great sacri¬ 
fice. All of the animals that were ever sacrificed 
simply typified the sacrifice of the Son of God. On 
the day of his crucifixion, rocks were rent asunder. 
The dead came forth from the graves. For three 
hours the sun refused to shine. At the Lord’s table 
we find a perpetual memorial of this event. The 
Master said: “This is my body, broken for you.” 
“This is my blood of the new testament, shed for 
the remission of sins.” Paul, in his preaching, put 
this great tragedy in the foreground of every ser¬ 
mon. Pie said that he was determined to know 
nothing, when preaching to men, except Christ and 
him crucified. In the preparation for the life that 
is yet to come, we are enjoined to wash our robes 
and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

b. Its Purpose. The crucifixion of Jesus was 
not a murder. It was the vicarious sacrifice of the 
Son of God for the redemption of a sin-cursed 
world. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse 
of the law.” “Even as the Son of man came not 
to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give 
his life a ransom for many.” “Forasmuch as ye 


14 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible 
things, as silver and gold, but with the precious 
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and 
without spot/’ “He that spared not his own Son, 
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not 
with him also freely give us all things?” It is a 
fundamental law of life that the greatest blessing 
which can come to humanity is the voluntary sacri¬ 
fice of those who are innocent. The mother suffers 
for the child. The patriot is ready to die for his 
country. The martyr willingly goes to the stake for 
the sake of the great truth he has proclaimed to the 
world. The crucifixion was no injustice to Jesus. 
It was for the joy that was set before him that he 
endured the cross. He despised the shame and sat 
down at the right hand of the throne of God. 
This vicarious sacrifice always calls out the best 
that there is in man. The son never gets away 
from the influence of a mother’s love. The nation 
never forgets its great patriots. The equality of 
humanity and the brotherhood of man are the doc¬ 
trines of the cross. The awfulness of sin is in¬ 
tensified as we understand more clearly the signifi¬ 
cance of the tragedy of the cross. 

Christ has ascended to the 
right hand of the Father, and 
there to-day makes intercession for us. “There is 
one God and one Mediator between God and men, 
the man Jesus Christ.” Jesus says: “Whatsoever 
you shall ask the Father, in my name, that will 
he do.” In the Hebrew letter we are told that 
we have a High Priest who hath passed into the 


10. As Mediator 


PREPARATORY WORK OF OUR LORD 15 


heavens. We are assured that Christ is touched 
with the feelings of our infirmities because he has 
been tempted in all points like as we. As High 
Priest, he makes daily intercession to the Father in 
our behalf. We have no right, as Christians, to 
approach God in any other way than in the name 
of our Saviour. A mediator must sustain a proper 
relationship to both parties. It is said of Jesus that 
he is both the Son of God and the Son of man. 
This mediatorship is daily illustrated in our court¬ 
rooms. The attorney is the mediator for his client 
before the judge or the jury. The attorney speaks 
in his behalf and he pleads his case. It is the will 
of the Father and the desire of the Son that this 
mediatorship should become universal. Man alone 
interferes with this realization. Christ, standing 
outside of the city of Jerusalem, said: “O Jeru¬ 
salem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and 
stonest them that are sent unto thee; how oft would 
I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth 
gather her brood under her wings, and ye would 
not!” This vividly sets forth the attitude of Christ, 
and likewise the present attitude of a great part of 
the world. In the plan of redemption there is a 
threefold work. God prepared the plan. He gave 
his Son to the world. Christ came to reveal the 
perpetual love of the Father. When men under¬ 
stand this mediatorial work of Christ they will 
no longer accuse God of refusing to accept them. 
God and Christ have done their part. It only re¬ 
mains for man to accept the plan and to render 
obedience. 


16 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


Questions for Review. 

1. Name the three dispensations. 

2. For whom was each given? 

3. For how long was each given? 

4. What do you understand by the fullness of 
time? 

5. Name five things that mark the advent of 
our Lord. 

6. Why did the Jews have a false hope? 

7. Why are many of them still looking for the 
Messiah? 

8. Contrast the law and the gospel. 

9. How did Jesus prove himself to be God's 
Son ? 

10. What is the extent of his authority? 

11. Why is Jesus called the “Great Teacher"? 

12. Characterize his attitude towards sin. 

13. What is the advantage of having him for 
our example? 

14. What was accomplished by the death of 
Christ ? 

15. How does it change our attitude towards our 
own death? 

16. As Mediator, what does he do for us? 


II. 


THE CHURCH AND THE HOLY 

SPIRIT 


( 3 ) 


17 


OUTLINE—CHAPTER II. 


Introduction. 

1. Baptism of the Holy Spirit—What Was 

It? 

2. Baptism of the Holy Spirit—What Was 

It For? 

a. To Prepare Apostles. 

b. In Order to Teach All Nations. 

c. To Admit the Gentiles. 

3. Gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

4. When These Gifts Ended. 

5. Operation of the Holy Spirit. 

a . In Conversion. 

b. In Perfecting Christians. 

c. In Special Providence. 

6. Witness of the Holy Spirit. 

7. The Holy Spirit’s Relation to the World. 


18 


II. 

The Church and the Holy Spirit. 

As we read our New Testaments, we learn that 
there is one God—the Father; one Lord and Saviour 
—Jesus Christ. Also that there is one Holy Spirit, 
and that he has been sent forth into the world by 
the Father. John the Baptist said: “I indeed bap¬ 
tize you with water unto repentance, but he that 
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes 
I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you 
with the Holy Ghost and with fire” (Matt. 3: 11). 
“Now, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would 
not have you ignorant.” “Now there are diversities 
of gifts, but the same Spirit.” “When he is come 
[Holy Spirit], he will reprove the world of sin and 
of righteousness and of judgment.” In Rom. 8: 16 
we read: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our 
spirits that we are children of God.” Before Jesus 
ascended to the Father, he instructed his disciples 
“not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the 
promise of the Father, which, said he, ye heard 
from me: for John indeed baptized with water; but 
ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many 
days hence” (Acts 1:4, 5). From these various 
passages we learn that the work of the Holy Spirit 
is manifold. Inasmuch as the Holy Spirit directed 
the establishment of the Church, dictated terms of 

19 


20 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


entrance and pointed out means of grace for the 
Church, the Christian dispensation may very fit¬ 
tingly be called the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. 

This peculiar work of the 
l. Baptism of the Holy Spirit had been prophesied 

What w'aflt? b >' the prophet J oel - “ And it 
shall come to pass afterward, 
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and 
your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old 
men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see 
visions: and also upon the servants and upon the 
handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. 
And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the 
earth; blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke/’ On 
the day of Pentecost, when this manifestation had 
taken place, the Apostles were accused of being 
drunk. Peter, in order to set this accusation aside, 
refers to and quotes this very passage and states 
that it is now being fulfilled. The manifestations 
were a sound as of a mighty rushing wind, and 
there appeared unto them tongues like as of fire. 
They were filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke 
with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utter¬ 
ance. There is just one more instance, of the bap¬ 
tism of the Holy Spirit, in the Bible. In the tenth 
chapter of Acts we have the circumstance concern¬ 
ing the conversion of Cornelius and his household. 
While Peter was preaching to this assembly, “the 
Holy Spirit fell on them that heard the word. And 
they of the circumcision that believed were amazed, 
as many as came with Peter, because that on the 
Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy 


THE CHURCH AND THE HOLY SPIRIT 21 


Spirit. For they heard them speak with tongues, 
and magnify God.” Here, again, we find people 
talking with tongues as a direct result of the out¬ 
pouring of the Holy Spirit. 

a. To Prepare Apostles. 
2. Baptism of the D ur i n g- the active ministry of our 

WhatwfsTtVor? he selected twe lve men. 

For over three years they sat at 
his feet. Before going away he said unto them: 
“I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath 
appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink at 
my table in my kingdom; and ye shall sit on thrones 
judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:29, 
30). After this he foretold for them the perils and 
persecutions that would beset them. To offset this 
he gave them a promise: “I will pray the Father, 
and he shall give you another Comforter, that he 
may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of 
truth: whom the world cannot receive; because it 
seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know 
him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” 
He assures them that it is expedient for him to go 
to the Father so that this promise may be fulfilled. 
His death and burial brought despair to the Apos¬ 
tles. They had, however, been enjoined to remain 
in Jerusalem until they should be indued with power 
from on high. With the baptism of the Holy Spirit, 
on the day of Pentecost, their preparation was com¬ 
plete. 

b . In Order to Teach All Nations. “Now 
there were dwelling in Jerusalem devout men, from 
every nation under the heavens. And when this 


22 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


sound was heard, the multitude came together, and 
were confounded, because every man heard them 
speaking in his own language” (Acts 2:5, 6). 
In the following verses we find that as many as 
eighteen different nations were represented. From 
the context we would reasonably infer that they 
spoke as many different languages. In the Great 
Commission Jesus had instructed them to teach all 
nations. Here was an opportunity, but how could 
it be accomplished since all of the Apostles were 
Galileans? The baptism of the Holy Spirit made it 
possible for every man to hear in his own language. 
While the Apostles stood before this multitude, the 
Spirit brought to their memory the things which 
the Master had taught them. The Spirit, likewise, 
guided the message so that this proclamation would 
be made once for all time. 

c. To Admit the Gentiles. In the tenth chap¬ 
ter of John and the sixteenth verse, we read: 
“Other sheep have I, which are not of this fold: 
them also I must bring, and they shall hear my 
voice; and there shall be one fold and one shep¬ 
herd.” Eight years have passed since the opening 
of the Kingdom on the day of Pentecost. So far, 
only Jews had been admitted to the Kingdom. Be¬ 
cause of this fact they had become arrogant and 
considered themselves to be sole heirs to the King¬ 
dom which our Lord had established. In the tenth 
chapter of Acts we learn that it took a miracle to 
convince Peter that the Kingdom was for the Gen¬ 
tiles. When the six Jews, who had gone with 
him to the household of Cornelius, saw that the 


THE CHURCH AND THE HOLY SPIRIT 23 


Gentiles also had been baptized of the Holy Spirit, 
they were amazed. When Peter had seen it, he 
answered: “Can any man forbid water, that these 
should not be baptized who have received the Holy 
Spirit as well as we?” When relating these cir¬ 
cumstances to the Apostles at Jerusalem, Peter said: 
“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on 
them, even as on us at the beginning. And I 
remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 
John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be 
baptized in the Holy Spirit. If then God gave unto 
them the like gift as he did also unto us, when we 
believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I 
could withstand God? And when they heard these 
things, they held their peace, and glorified God, say¬ 
ing, Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted 
repentance unto life” (Acts 11:15-18). 


The baptism of the Holy 
Spirit conferred special blessings 
upon men by a direct act of God. 


3. Gifts of the 
Holy Spirit 


The gifts of the Ploly Spirit are special blessings 
which were bestowed upon men by the laying on 
of the Apostles’ hands. Paul, in the Roman letter, 
says: “I long to see you that I may impart unto 
you some spiritual gift.” This clearly indicates that 
it was necessary for the Apostle to be present be¬ 
fore such a gift could be imparted. In Acts 8: 17- 
19 we have the method of the imparting definitely 
stated: “Then laid they their hands on them, and 
they received the Holy Ghost. Now when Simon 
saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands 
the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, 


24 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


saying, Give me also this power, that on whomso¬ 
ever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy 
Ghost.” The character of these spiritual gifts is 
indicated in the following passage: “To one is given 
by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the 
word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another 
faith by the same Spirit ; to another the gift of heal¬ 
ing by the same Spirit; to another the working of 
miracles; to another prophecy; to another discern¬ 
ing of spirits; to another diverse kinds of tongues; 
to another the interpretation of tongues: but all 
these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, 
dividing to every man severally as he will” (i Cor. 
12: 8-11). This passage not only indicates the char¬ 
acter of the gifts, but it likewise shows that the 
same gifts were not distributed to all people, each 
man receiving the gifts which were best suited to 
him and which were needed in the community where 
he lived. The use of all these gifts indicated the 
possession of miraculous power. In each of these 
cases it will be seen that those receiving the gifts 
had adready obeyed the gospel. 


No one except an Apostle 
was given the power by the 
Spirit to confer these gifts upon 


4. When These 
Gifts Ended 


any one. The power to work miracles, therefore, 
came to an end in a natural way. When all the 
Apostles had died, and when all those upon whom 
they had conferred these various gifts died, the 
working of miracles would come to an end. In 
Acts 8: 14, 15 we have it clearly stated that no one 
but Apostles could confer these gifts. “When the 


THE CHURCH AND THE HOLY SPIRIT 25 


apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria 
had received the word of God, they sent unto them 
Peter and John: who, when they were come down, 
prayed for them that they might receive the Holy 
Ghost.” Every statement in the New Testament 
regarding miracles has been fulfilled. “And these 
signs shall follow them that believe: in my name 
shall they cast out devils; and they shall speak with 
new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if 
they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; 
they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall re¬ 
cover” (Mark 16:17, 18). This is a part of the 
Commission as recorded by Mark. These things 
the Apostles were assured they would be able to 
do. During their lives they were done. During 
the period covered by those performing miracles, 
God’s revelation—our New Testament—was being 
formed. With its formation, the necessities for 
miracles for confirmation of the things being taught 
came to an end. We have God’s final revelation. 

On the day of Pentecost the 
f‘ Holy Spirit took up its abode 

,he Holy Sp ' nt with the Church. The Church, 
through its members, has carried forward the work 
of the Spirit. God did not leave this matter in 
an indefinite way, but the work and the will of 
the Spirit were incorporated in definite words that 
are set forth in our New Testament. In the Old 
Testament God’s Spirit was made manifest through 
inspired men—the prophets. Until the New Testa¬ 
ment was written, inspired men carried forward the 
work of the Church; but since then, God’s revealed 


26 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 

Word has had all authority throughout the world. 
In the parable of the sower we find the word of 
God spoken of as the seed. If there is to be a 
harvest, seed must be planted. If there is to be 
a spiritual awakening, God’s word must be made 
known to men. Faith cometh by hearing, and hear¬ 
ing by the word of God. Where the word of God 
has not gone there has been no hearing, and where 
there has been no hearing there has been no faith. 
In i Cor. 1:21 we read: “It pleased God, by the 
foolishness of preaching, to save them that be¬ 
lieved.” Again, in the Roman letter, Paul says: 
“How shall they believe in him of whom they have 
not heard; and how shall they hear without a 
preacher; and how shall they preach except they be 
sent ?” 

a. In Conversion. The Spirit of God has been 
striving with men and directing them towards a 
righteous life throughout the three dispensations. 
In Gen. 6:3 we read: “And the Lord said, My 
Spirit shall not always strive with men.” Again, 
in Neh. 9: 30, we have it written: “Yet many years 
didst thou forbear them, and testify against them 
by thy Spirit in the prophets.” The prophet Jere¬ 
miah leaves us a similar thought in 7:25, 26: 
“Since the day that our fathers came forth out 
of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even 
sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily 
rising up and sending them; yet they hearkened not 
unto me, nor inclined their ears, but made their 
neck stiff: they did worse than their fathers.” Here 
we find a persistent work of the Spirit to bring 


THE CHURCH AND THE HOLY SPIRIT 27 


these people to a righteous life. In Acts 7:51 it 
is written: “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in 
heart and ear, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit. 
As your fathers did, so do ye.” The teaching of 
these Scriptures is plain. It is a fact that the Holy 
Spirit is God’s agency in leading men to righteous¬ 
ness. It is sometimes said that providential experi¬ 
ences do the same. That is, it often happens that 
the hearing of a song, the reading of a book, the 
death of a relative or a serious accident will direct 
men’s minds to a righteous life. On closer exam¬ 
ination, it will be found that these things only 
prepare men’s hearts for the reception of the word 
of God, which brings about faith and repentance. 

b. In Perfecting Christians. The work of 
the Holy Spirit in conversion is an important work, 
but its co-operation in keeping us saved and build¬ 
ing us up in spiritual things is no less important. 
There is a direct providence leading and directing 
every Christian to a higher and better life. The 
more fully we understand God’s will concerning us 
and the more willing we are to direct our lives 
according to his Word, the more definite will this 
providence be manifested. “He that believeth on 
me, as the scriptures hath said, from within him 
shall flow rivers of living water, but this spake he 
of the Spirit which they that believed on him were 
to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, be¬ 
cause Jesus was not yet glorified.” Paul says, in 
the Ephesian letter: “For this cause I bow my 
knees unto the Father, from whom every family in 
heaven and earth is named, that he would grant 


28 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 

you according to the riches of his glory that ye 
be strengthened with power, through his Spirit, in 
the inward man.” In the Philippian letter he gives 
us another very helpful passage: “So then, my be¬ 
loved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in 
my presence only, but now much more in my ab¬ 
sence, work out your own salvation with fear and 
trembling; for it is God who worketh in you, both 
to will and to do for his good pleasure.” Other 
similar passages might be quoted, but these are 
sufficient to show that God’s Spirit continuously 
strives and co-operates with the Christian to lead 
him to a fuller life. God’s opportunity, in every 
case, is measured by man’s willingness to co-oper¬ 
ate with him. With this knowledge before us we 
should exercise diligence to work out our own sal¬ 
vation and to keep ourselves clean and unspotted 
from the world. 

c. In Special Providence. The statement made 
above must not be construed to mean that we do 
not believe in or have a special providence. The 
word of God is very clear on this point. This 
special providence, however, is for those who have 
obeyed. The children of the household, and not 
aliens, are to receive the Father’s bounty. “We 
trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all 
men, but especially of those that believe.” “We 
know that all things work together for good to 
them that love God; to them who are called accord¬ 
ing to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Again, in 1 
Tim. 3:12, we read: “The eyes of the Lord are 
over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their 


THE CHURCH AND THE HOLY SPIRIT 29 


prayers; but the face of the Lord is against them 
that do evil.” Every Christian who comes to God 
in prayer has the promise of God that his petition 
will be heard. Every man who has put his life at 
the disposal of God, for the cause of righteousness, 
will relate many experiences where God has directly 
led him. An important matter that we should not 
overlook is that we keep our lives in accordance 
with the word of God. We must have clean hands 
and a pure heart before we approach him. 


It is not enough for men to 
feel that they are saved. In or¬ 
der to have a well-rounded Chris- 


6. Witness of the 
Holy Spirit 


tian experience, they must know that they have 
passed from death unto life. In Rom. 8: 16 we 
read: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our 
spirit, that we are the children of God.” In this 
statement we have set forth a common experience. 
A foreigner comes to this country and wishes to 
become a citizen. He is told what the law is. 
After understanding it clearly, he has faith in 
those who have told him, complies with the legal 
requirements, and then knows that he is a citizen 
of the United States. For admittance into the 
Church of God, the Spirit, speaking through Apos¬ 
tles, definitely testified what men must do in order 
to enter the spiritual Kingdom. By the study of 
God’s word, or by hearing it preached, men know 
the requirements. Having faith in these require¬ 
ments, they are complied with. With this knowl¬ 
edge comes the testimony of our own spirit with 
God’s Spirit. When we have done what God has 


30 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


told us to do, we thereby know that we have entered 
into God's Kingdom. “We do not know that we 
are pardoned because we feel good; but we feel 
good because we know we are pardoned.” 

“And when he is come, he will 
?• The Holy convince the world of sin, and of 
Spint s Relation to righteousness, and of judgment” 

(John 16:8). This passage 
clearly sets forth the purpose of the Spirit re¬ 
specting the world. That is, the world or the king¬ 
dom of Satan—the opposing forces outside of the 
Church. “Of sin, because they believe not on me.” 
With the aid of the Apostles, the testimony was to 
present such evidence that the world would be con¬ 
vinced of its sin—the sin of rejecting Jesus as the 
Messiah. “Of righteousness, because I go to the 
Father, and ye see me no more.” The Spirit is to 
justify or clear Jesus of the charges that were pre¬ 
ferred against him by the Jewish Sanhedrin and 
in the court of Pilate. The Holy Spirit comes from 
the court of heaven, where justification has taken 
place, and bears this news to the world. “Of judg¬ 
ment, because the prince of this world is judged.” 
This is not a reference to future punishment. Judg¬ 
ment has been put upon evil and sin by the action 
of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. In order 
to bring the whole world to Christ, it is absolutely 
necessary that the testimony of the Spirit be pro¬ 
claimed abroad, and that those who have named his 
name shall live according to the purpose which God 
has purposed concerning them. The Spirit pro¬ 
claims its message loudest in the lives of men. 


THE CHURCH AND THE HOLY SPIRIT 31 


Questions for Review. 

1. What was the baptism of the Holy Spirit? 

2. What did it do for the Apostles? 

3. How did it assist in the extension of the 
gospel to all nations? 

4. What did it do for the Gentiles? 

5. Name five gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

6. Who exercised these gifts? 

7. When and why did these gifts cease? 

8. How does the Spirit operate to-day? 

9. How does it assist in conversion? 

10. By what means does it lead us to a higher 
life? 

11. Why are special providences for Christians 
only? 

12. How does it bear witness with our spirits 
that we are children of God? 

13. What is the relation of the Spirit to the 
world ? 

14. Review questions on Chapter I. 













HI. 

THE CHURCH 


» 











OUTLINE—CHAPTER Ill. 


1. New Testament Designations for the 
Church. 

2. When Established. 

a . Looking to the Future. 

b . Looking to the Past. 

3. Where Established. 

4. By Whom Established. 

a . The Apostles. 

b . As Guided by the Spirit. 

5. Its Foundation. 

6. Its Head. 

7. Its Designs. 

8. The Ordinances. 

a . Baptism. 

b . The Lord’s Supper. 

c . The Lord’s Day. 

9. Its Creed. 

10. Its Worship. 

11. Its Unity. 

12. Its Blessings for All. 

13. Its Destiny. 


34 


III. 

The Church. 

The word, in the original, for 
church means call together by an 
authority. The Church of God 
consists, then, of those called by 
the authority of God. Confusion has arisen re¬ 
garding the meaning of the word “church,” because 
even its friends have not always been careful to 
use the word in its proper connection. We often 
hear people say that they have been to church, when 
they have in mind the church service. Again, we 
hear them say that they were in the church, when 
they mean the church building. This word ap¬ 
plies to the great body of believers who have been 
brought into the Kingdom and who are now the 
body and the bride of Christ. When using this 
word, we should be careful to give it its New 
Testament meaning. In the New Testament we 
find several expressions with the same meaning as 
the word “church.” All these expressions refer to 
the same thing, yet each has in mind a specific 
phase of thought. It is called the “kingdom of 
heaven.” This expression is used repeatedly. It 
is the Kingdom that came from heaven. Again, 
it is called the “kingdom of God,” and also “the 
kingdom.” We again find the expression “the Son 
35 


1. New Testament 
Designations 
for the Church 


36 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


of man’s kingdom.” The term “the churches of 
Christ” is a common designation. Here we have 
the thought of the Church as an organic body, and 
the fact that it belongs to Christ. The expressions 
“the church of God,” “the household of faith,” “the 
house of God” and “the temple of God” are also 
used. It will be noticed that all of these expres¬ 
sions have some very important things in common. 
They refer directly to the body of believers who 
have accepted Christ as their Saviour and who have 
complied with the conditions of pardon which he 
and the Apostles laid down for admission into his 
Kingdom. Christ’s Kingdom and Church are one. 


a . Looking to the Future. 
It was established upon the day 
of Pentecost following the cruci- 


2. When 
Established 


fixion of our Lord. The prophecy of Daniel, 
regarding the great kingdoms, definitely puts the 
founding of this Kingdom during the period of 
the Roman Empire. Those who are not familiar 
with this prophecy would do well to turn to it and 
read it carefully, keeping this thought in mind. 
Matthew says: “In those days came John the Bap¬ 
tist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and 
saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is 
at hand.” We find John, therefore, still looking 
to the future for the Kingdom to be established. 
Jesus taught his disciples to pray: “Our Father, 
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy 
kingdom come.” Jesus again says: “Except ye be 
converted, and become as a little child, ye shall not 
enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Both of these 


THE CHURCH 


37 


passages give us the thought that, during the min¬ 
istry of Jesus, he still looked to the future for the 
coming of his Kingdom—the Church. Again, it is 
recorded by Luke: “The kingdom of God is come 
nigh unto you/’ When Peter made the good con¬ 
fession, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living 
God,” Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my 
church.” All of these passages clearly indicate that 
the establishment of the Kingdom was still in the 
future. It is difficult to understand how some peo¬ 
ple, with all of these facts before them, will contend 
that the Kingdom was set up in the days of Abra¬ 
ham, Moses or John the Baptist. 

b. Looking to the Past. In the second chapter 
of Acts we read: “And when the day of Pentecost 
was now come, they were all together in one place, 
and suddenly there came from heaven a sound as 
of a rushing and mighty wind; and it filled all the 
house where they were sitting; and they were all 
filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak 
with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utter¬ 
ance.” Again, in the forty-first verse, it says: 
“They then that received his word were baptized: 
and there were added unto them that day about 
three thousand souls.” From this time on the 
Church is spoken of as a thing that has been estab¬ 
lished. Peter, in speaking of his experience at the 
household of Cornelius, says: “And as I began to 
speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as on us at 
the beginning.” This beginning can refer to noth¬ 
ing else except the events that took place on the 
day of Pentecost. In Acts 8: i it is stated: “There 


38 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


was a great persecution against the church which 
was at Jerusalem/’ By this it is clearly seen that, 
at this time, the Church was made up of various 
congregations. Furthermore, it is stated: “Tidings 
of these things came unto the ears of the church 
which was in Jerusalem.” Paul, in Corinthians, 
says: “God is not the author of confusion, but of 
peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” By a 
careful reading of the Acts and Epistles, it will 
be found that the Church prospered and multiplied 
continuously after its establishment, and that all 
the writers look back to its beginning on the day 
of Pentecost. This fact can not be contradicted. 


The Church was established 
at Jerusalem. The fact that the 
Church was to be established in 


3. Where 
Established 


Jerusalem was foretold many centuries before by 
the prophets. In the second chapter of Isaiah we 
read: “And many people shall go and say, Come 
ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, 
to the house of God of. Jacob; and he will teach 
us of his ways, and we will walk in his path: for 
out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of 
the Lord from Jerusalem.” Micah, in the fourth 
chapter of his prophecy, makes the same statement: 
“For the law shall go forth out of Zion, and the 
word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Jesus con¬ 
firms this prophecy with his own statement, when 
he was giving the Apostles instructions concerning 
the establishment of his Kingdom. He said: “Thus 
it is written, and thus it behooves Christ to suffer 
and to rise from the dead the third day: that re- 


THE CHURCH 


39 


pentance and remission of sins should be preached 
in his name, among all nations, beginning at Jeru¬ 
salem.” The instructions given to the Apostles were 
that they were to begin their ministry in Jerusalem; 
from here they were to go into Judea, then into 
Samaria, and from there into all the world. In 
the study of these paragraphs, the student should 
turn and read carefully the second chapter of Acts. 


a. The Church was established 
by the Apostles, with authority 
from Jesus. “And Jesus came 


4. By Whom 
Established 


and spake unto them [the apostles], saying, All 
authority is given unto me in heaven and on earth. 
Go ye, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, 
baptizing them into the name of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them 
to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded 
you; and lo, I am with you always, even unto the 
end of the world.” These men had been with 
Jesus throughout his public ministry. They had 
seen him in his hours of triumph, and also when 
apparently overcome by his enemies. They had 
been eye-witnesses while he performed his won¬ 
derful miracles. They had, for three and a half 
years, gone to school to him. Here they had re¬ 
ceived instruction concerning the Kingdom they were 
to establish. Here they had learned first-hand the 
cardinal principles of this Kingdom. They were to 
be witnesses of the things which they had seen and 
heard. These men had no successors. Through 
their writings, they still live and preside over the 
whole Church. This shall continue unto the end 


40 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


of the world; for through Christ God hath made 
his final revelation to man. Since this is true, the 
twenty-seven books of the New Testament contain 
all that we have, and all that we need, for the 
guidance and the development of the Church. 

b. As Guided by the Spirit. The Apostles 
were men. As such, they were subject to the 
shortcomings which are characteristic of all men. 
If the matter of recording the teachings of Jesus 
had been left solely to their memory, there would 
have been, without question, imperfections in their 
records. In Acts i: 8 it is recorded: '‘But ye shall 
receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come 
upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both 
in Jerusalem, and in Judaea, and in Samaria, and 
unto the uttermost parts of the earth/’ Here it is 
plainly stated that they were to be witnesses, but 
also that their witnessing should not begin until 
they had received power from the Holy Spirit. In 
John 16: 3 we also find this record: “Howbeit, when 
he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you 
into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; 
but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak, 
and he will show you things to come.” This record 
tells us that he would guide the Apostles into all 
the truth that the Spirit would not speak of himself, 
and that he would show the Apostles the things that 
were to come Thus, on every hand, where possible 
errors might arise, the Spirit comes in and fortifies 
the Apostles from possible error. Therefore, with 
the authority of Jesus and with the guidance of 
the Spirit, the Apostles established the Church. 


THE CHURCH 


41 


5. Its Foundation 


The permanency of every in¬ 
stitution depends upon the char¬ 
acter of its foundation. In Isaiah it is written: 
"Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion, for 
a foundation, a stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure 
foundation.” Here we find set forth the char¬ 
acteristic most essential to a good foundation. God 
himself laid it. The record also says: "Other foun¬ 
dation can no man lay than that which is laid, 
which is Jesus Christ.” The foundation of the 
Church is, therefore, the Son of God, the only be¬ 
gotten of the Father, full of grace and truth; in 
whom dwelleth the fullness of the Godhead bodily. 
By his victory over death, it became possible for 
him to take upon himself the weight of the sins 
of the world. No man can take his place. When 
a church takes a man for its foundation, when it 
takes another name than that of its Lord, it casts 
reproach upon the Lord of glory. If you were 
building a home, you would be careful to investi¬ 
gate thoroughly the foundation on which you were 
erecting it. Surely no one will attempt to erect a 
spiritual home, that is to provide them with security 
throughout all the ages, without likewise giving it 
as thorough an examination. "Whoever rests on 
him will never be disappointed. He is the mighty 
Deliverer, the great divine Redeemer, and able to 
rescue his people.” Is this confidence yours? 

The head of every institution 
is expected to direct the activities 
of that institution. It is just as true with the 
Church. The head of the Church is Christ. In 


6. Its Head 


42 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


Col. 1: 18 we read: “And he is the head of the 
body, the church: who is the beginning, the first¬ 
born from the dead; that in all things he might 
have pre-eminence.” Throughout the teachings of 
Jesus we find him persistently setting forth this 
thought: since he is the head of the Church, the 
Church must look to him for authority. The de¬ 
nominational confusion, which is found in almost 
every community, is brought about because men 
have refused to do this. This headship is present 
in the Church to-day, being continued by the Holy 
Spirit. Jesus said: “But the Comforter, even the 
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my 
name, shall teach you all things, and bring to your 
remembrance all that I have said.” This promise 
was fulfilled. The records of the Apostles are be¬ 
fore us to-day. Those who would have Christ as 
a personal leader must accept his word as set forth 
in his divine revelation. The head must direct. 

The Church has been called 
7. It* Design* j n t 0 existence in order to make 
known to all of the universe the perfections of God; 
to set forth, to all rational beings, God’s true char¬ 
acter. The following passages indicate this clearly: 
“To the principalities and powers in heavenly places 
is being made known that manifold wisdom of 
God.” Again: “In the ages to come, he will show 
the exceeding richness of his grace in his kindness 
towards us in Jesus Christ.” The plan of re¬ 
demption is far-reaching in its influence and effects. 
It is here stated that it embraced the world, angels, 
principalities and the powers of heaven. The end 


THE CHURCH 


43 


that God had in view was to save sinners, to bring 
back those who were lost, to rescue the fallen, as 
well as to establish the faith, love and consecration 
of those who had fallen away from his love. When 
we look about us to-day and see the terrible inroad 
that sin is making in our nation and in our homes, 
we should be aroused from our lethargy, and begin 
at once to more faithfully make use of the means 
that God has put into our hands to drive sin and 
evil from the world. It is a function of the Church 
to conserve and keep pure the truth that God hath 
revealed by his Spirit, and to proclaim this truth 
throughout the world. “We are to contend earn¬ 
estly for the faith once for all delivered to the 
saints.” Just as water is purified by its own ac¬ 
tivity, so the truth of the Church is kept pure by 
the activity of the Church. Christians are to go 
throughout the world, and, as they go, establish 
God’s Kingdom. Your life is in harmony with 
God’s design only in so far as you seek to further 
this end. On Christians this responsibility rests. 

a. Baptism. The following 
8. The Ordinance* p assa g es 0 f Scripture set forth 

clearly the fact that baptism is an ordinance of the 
Church: “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the 
Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John 
would have hindered him, saying, I have need to 
be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And 
Jesus answering said to him, Suffer it now, for thus 
it behooveth us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he 
suffereth him” (Matt. 3: 13-15)* Here we find our 
Lord plainly stating that, in order to fulfill all right- 


44 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


eousness, we must submit to the ordinance of bap¬ 
tism. Also, Acts 2:37, 38: “Now when they heard 
this, they were pricked in their hearts, and said 
unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, 
what shall we do? And Peter said unto them, Re¬ 
pent, and be baptized every one of you in the name 
of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins, and 
ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Here 
the Apostle, who was directed by the Holy Spirit, 
answers the question by saying that they were all 
to repent and be baptized before they should have 
remission of sins. In Rom. 6: 3-5 we also have the 
same fact definitely set forth: “Know ye not, that 
so many of us as were baptized into Christ were 
baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried 
with him by baptism unto death; that like as Christ 
was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, 
even so we also should walk in newness of life. 
For if we have been planted in the likeness of his 
death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resur¬ 
rection.” Here it is plainly stated that by baptism 
we are to be transformed; to be made anew because 
baptism is a likeness of Christ’s resurrection. 

b. The Lord’s Supper. “And as they were eat¬ 
ing, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and 
he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is 
my body. And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and 
gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is 
my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for 
many unto remission of sins.” The elements used 
were those which had been prepared for the Pass- 
over. This bread was unleavened. The cup referred 


THE CHURCH 


45 


to the grape juice, which also had been prepared for 
the feast. It could not have been fermented wine, 
because during this feast all leaven was removed 
from the houses. All of God’s children are invited to 
partake of the emblems so oft as they meet together. 
The Scriptures saith: “Let a man so examine him¬ 
self, and so let him eat and drink.” As we partake 
of this Supper, we are to have in mind the sacrifice 
which was paid for sin. By constantly renewing 
our impressions of this great tragedy, we will de¬ 
velop greater consecration and a truer conception 
of our obligations to God. Also, we will understand 
better our present obligation to those who are yet 
in their sins. The purpose, then, of this ordinance 
is to show forth the Lord’s death till he shall come 
again. It is the communion of the body and the 
blood of the Lord. By means of it the oneness of 
the Church is definitely set forth to the world. It 
brings to the hearts of all believers a joyous antici¬ 
pation of the second coming of the Lord. 

c. The Lord’s Day. The fact that one day in 
seven should be wholly sanctified to the Lord is 
clearly seen by our physical, intellectual, moral, so¬ 
cial and religious needs. The first day of the week 
is observed for the following reasons: First, this is 
the day that Christ arose from the dead. At that 
time he brought life and immortality to light. This, 
of itself, should be sufficient reason for the ob¬ 
servance of the day. It should make it mean much 
more to us than simply a day of rest. Second, this 
is the day when Christ met with his disciples be¬ 
tween the time of his resurrection and his ascension. 


46 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


These days were especially used for worship. In 
the third place, it was the day that the Spirit came, 
on the day of Pentecost, when the Apostles were 
duly qualified for the work of establishing the 
Church. Fourth, this was the day on which the 
Christian Church was established. For the first 
time, on this day, men were baptized into Christ, 
in the name of the Father and the Son and the 
Holy Spirit. The testimony of Luke and of Paul, 
and the early Church writers, sets forth abundant 
proof that on this day the early church met to¬ 
gether for the purpose of celebrating the Lord’s 
Supper and conducting their regular social worship. 
The spirit in which this day is to be kept is a 
vital thing to all Christians. It is a time for getting 
a firmer grip on our spiritual lives, and for per¬ 
forming much spiritual labor that we do not find 
time to perform during the other six days of the 
week. It is a day for spiritual service. 

Christ is the creed of his 
9. Its Creed Church. This, and this alone, is 
the one thing that all men everywhere are asked to 
believe. All of the fundamentals of religion are 
found in the word of God. If a man-made creed 
or confession of faith has more than is contained 
in the word of God, it has that which is unneces¬ 
sary to be a Christian, and therefore should not be 
used. If they have less than the New Testament, 
then they do not have enough to make a Christian, 
and again should not be used. If they have just 
what is in the New Testament, they again become 
unnecessary, because the New Testament is already 


THE CHURCH 


47 


in the hands of Christians everywhere. It is a 
self-evident fact that nothing should come between 
a Christian and his Bible. Paul says: “I am de¬ 
termined to know nothing among you save Jesus 
Christ and him crucified. ,, And again he says: 
“Other foundation can no man lay than that which 
is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” The writer of the 
Revelation, looking forward to the time when sub¬ 
stitutions would be offered for this creed, wrote as 
follows: “I testify unto every man that heareth the 
words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall 
add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues 
which are written in this book: and if any man 
shall take away any of the words of this prophecy, 
God shall take away his part from the tree of life, 
and out of the holy city, and from the things which 
are written in this book” (Rev. 22: 18, 19). 

At a time when our churches 

10. It* Worship , . 

are paying so much attention to 

the order of service, it is most fitting to keep in 
mind the worship of the New Testament churches. 
The order of service is a necessary thing, but the 
tendency these days is towards formalism. The in¬ 
evitable result of formalism is to drive the real 
spirit of worship out of the service. “Preach tjie 
word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, 
rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” 
(2 Tim. 4:2). “And upon the first day of the 
week, when the apostles came together to break 
bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart 
on the morrow, and continued to speak until mid¬ 
night” (Acts 2:42). “Let the word of God dwell 


48 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


in you richly, in all wisdom; teaching and admonish¬ 
ing in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, sing¬ 
ing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3: 
16). From these passages we note the things that 
were common to New Testament worship: preach¬ 
ing, praying, singing, communing and teaching. It 
often happens to-day that the sermon is the chief 
thing in the service. It was not so in the New 
Testament Church. It is certainly a very bad prac¬ 
tice for Christians to come to the house of God 
late, planning to get there just in time for the ser¬ 
mon. All Christians are expected to contribute to 
the worship as well as to receive a blessing from 
the worship. “No impression without expression.” 

In the seventeenth chapter of 
11 * l ta Uiuty John we have this in the prayer 
of our Lord: “Neither for these only do I pray, 
but for all them also that believe on me through 
their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, 
Father, art in me, and I in thee; that they also 
may be in us, that the world may believe that 
thou didst send me.” Denominationalism has been 
developed by emphasizing the opinions of men in¬ 
stead of the teachings of the New Testament. Mr. 
Campbell says: “Let the Bible be substituted for 
all human creeds; facts for definitions; things for 
words; faith for speculation; unity of faith for 
unity of opinion; the positive commands of God for 
human legislation and tradition; piety for ceremony; 
morality for partisan zeal; the practice of religion 
for the profession of it, and the work is done.” 
The unity of the Church is absolutely necessary for 


THE CHURCH 


49 


the conversion of the world. The Lord specifically 
prayed that his disciples might all be one, so that 
the world would believe on him. Many religious 
bodies, that in the past have been indifferent to this 
prayer of our Lord, have recently recognized the 
validity of the plea which the Church of Christ 
has been making for the past hundred years. Our 
ultimate victory can only be gained by steadfastly 
contending for union, on the basis of the New 
Testament teaching. Church history proves this. 

Many institutions are estab- 
12 I f* lished for the select few. Others 

for All 

are nation-wide, but the Church 
of our Lord makes a universal appeal. In the 
Great Commission, Jesus told the disciples to go 
into all the world. Every creature was a subject 
to whom this message was to be delivered. Again, 
he says: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Even if 
one has been steeped in sin, hope is still held out. 
Even if we have forsaken our Lord and backslid¬ 
den, still he stands at the portals of heaven and 
beckons us back to him. The Church was estab¬ 
lished for the wise and for the ignorant; it was 
for the high and for the low; it was for the wise 
and for the simple; it was for old age and for 
the young. It was for every man, without regard 
to the color of his skin or the location of his 
home on the earth. In the prodigal son, we have 
the Father’s attitude towards those in sin definitely 
set forth. He patiently waits for the return of 
his disobedient children. God was the one sinned 
(5) 


50 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


against, yet all is forgiven. The Church is his 
divine institution, by means of which a reconcilia¬ 
tion is to be brought about with his disobedient 
children. To be in Christ is to be in his Church. 

The New Testament plainly 
13. It* Destiny teaches that the destiny of our 
Saviour and the destiny of his Church are one. 
When we know the facts concerning the one. we 
know the facts concerning the other. Our Lord 
has been raised from the grave. He has been a 
victor over death. To-day he sits exalted in heaven, 
at the right hand of the Father. He is invested 
with an immortal, glorious and incorruptible body. 
We, likewise, are to be crowned with honor. We, 
likewise, are to be glorified with Christ. We, like¬ 
wise, are to reign with him forever. We are to 
sit with him on his throne. We are to be like him 
and to see him as he is. When Christ was upon 
the earth, he had human form. He went about 
teaching, praying and doing good to those about 
him. It is the work of the Church to carry his 
life forward in teaching and in conduct; and, in 
the end, to receive a destiny like its Lord. To 
dwell forever in the new Jerusalem; to be forever 
at the center of the moral universe; to have our 
righteous destiny assured forever—surely no human 
mind can conceive of a thing more worth while 
nor the human heart desire a greater pleasure. 
This destiny should be within the reach of all. It 
was intended for all. May God keep his Church 
consecrated until this final work shall have been 
consummated. 


THE CHURCH 


51 


Questions for Review. 

1. Name three uses we make of the word 
“church.” 

2. Give seven New Testament designations for 
the Church. 

3. When was the Church established? 

4. Where was it established? 

5. By whom was it established? 

6. What part did the Holy Spirit have in estab¬ 
lishing the Church? 

7. What is the foundation of the Church? 

8. What do we mean by Christ being the head 
of the Church? 

9. What is the threefold design of the Church? 

10. Name the ordinances of the Church. 

11. What is the purpose and function of each 
of them? 

12. What is the creed of the Church? 

13. What constitutes the worship of the Church? 

14. Why is Christian union an important matter? 

15. Who are to receive the blessings of the 
Church ? 

16. What is to be its destiny? 



IV. 

MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH 


53 


OUTLINE—CHAPTER IV. 

1. Why Membership is Required. 

2. Conditions of Membership. 

a. Faith. 

b. Repentance. 

c. Confession. 

d . Baptism. 

3. Duties of Members. 

a. To Preach the Gospel. 

b. To Grow. 

c. To Worship. 

4. Privileges of Members. 

a. Prayer. 

b . Fasting. 

c. Edification. 

5. Opportunities of Members. 

a. To Serve. 

b. To Teach. 


54 


IV. 

Members of the Church. 


1. Why 

Membership is 
Required 


Sometime ago a prominent 
man was asked to give himself 
to Christ. He replied that he 
had already been approached by 


one of the ministers in his town, and had been told 
that he was all right morally and spiritually, and 
all that would be required of him was to give the 
minister permission to put his name on the church 
record. This is not God’s way of doing things. 
The Scriptures plainly teach that a man must be 
born again. We are to be made new creatures in 
Christ. “J esus answered and said unto him, Verily, 
verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, 
he cannot see the kingdom of God." This answer 
was given to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. Also 
the Master said: “Except a man be born of water 
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom 
of God.” To be born again means to be made 
anew. Matthew expresses it in this way: “Except 
ye be converted, and become as little children, ye 
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." By 
the expressions “kingdom of God" and “kingdom 
of heaven,” the Church is clearly meant. It is that 
system of divine government which was established 
upon the earth by the authority of our Lord. 


55 


56 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


2. Conditions of 
Membership 


a. Faith. In this new birth, 
the first step required of the pen¬ 
itent believer is that he shall 


have faith in Jesus Christ—the foundation of the 
Church. This faith presupposes that the individual 
has heard the divine message. Faith always follows 
conviction. In Acts we read: “But when they be¬ 
lieved Philip preaching the things concerning the 
kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, 
they were baptized, both men and women.” “Many 
of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were bap¬ 
tized.” In Mark 16: 16 it is also recorded: “He 
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but 
he that believeth not shall be damned.” In Rom. 
i: 16 the Apostle says: “For I am not ashamed of 
the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salva¬ 
tion to every one that believeth.” Since knowledge 
is the foundation of faith, it is necessary that the 
life of Christ be studied. In the Gospels we have 
the facts concerning our Lord set forth. These 
facts, when studied, become the basis of intelligent 
faith. Men must always be instructed before they 
can be inducted into the Kingdom of God. 

b. Repentance. The second step in the new 
birth is the changed attitude of the individual to¬ 
ward God. Before one can repent, he must be 
convinced that what he has been doing is wrong. 
There must be not only a forsaking of the old 
life, but a sincere repentance for the sin indulged 
in. Many people fail to recognize the sinfulness of 
their conduct, because they have not been instructed 
regarding the righteous life. In Acts 2:38 we 


MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH 


57 


read: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be 
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus 
Christ for the remission of sin, and ye shall receive 
the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Again, in Acts 3: 19, 
we read: “Repent ye, therefore, and turn, that your 
sins may be blotted out; so that times of refreshing 
may come from the presence of the Lord.” Faith 
leads us to have both love and fear for God, and to 
have a sincere desire to do his will. When this 
has taken place in our lives, we will hate sin be¬ 
cause it is contrary to God’s will. Many persons 
stay out of the Kingdom because they feel that they 
will be unable to live a godly life. They forget 
that, by repentance, they put themselves in a posi¬ 
tion so that God can give them the needed strength. 
Since man always travels in the direction of his 
faith, it is necessary for us to continually keep on 
the lookout lest we drift away from God’s standard 
of righteousness. 

c. Confession. A man’s faith and repentance 
must be publicly proclaimed before they will bring 
about the fruit of proper conduct. ■ The attempt to 
be a Christian, and to keep it to one’s self, has 
never yet been successful. In Rom. 10: 10 we read: 
“For with the heart man believeth unto righteous¬ 
ness, and with the mouth confession is made unto 
salvation.” The admonition given to Timothy is: 
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal 
life, whereunto thou wast called, and thou didst 
confess the good confession before many witnesses.” 
This good confession was first proclaimed by Peter, 
as recorded in Matt. 16:16: “When Jesus came 


58 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 

unto the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his 
disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son 
of man am? And they said, Some say that thou 
art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jere- 
mias, or one of the prophets. He said unto them, 
But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter 
answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of 
the living God .” This confession of Peter is the 
good confession of the Church, and the same that 
Timothy made before many witnesses. In some 
quarters there are attempts to introduce private con¬ 
fessions and baptisms. This certainly is not the 
spirit of the New Testament. A man is always 
strengthened in his determination when he has made 
public announcement of his conviction and inten¬ 
tions. 

d. Baptism. By baptism we are baptized into 
the death of our Lord. Rom. 6:4 says: “Therefore 
we are buried with him by baptism unto his death; 
that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the 
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk 
in newness of life.” In every case of New Testa¬ 
ment conversion, baptism is mentioned as the last 
step towards the new birth. By baptism a change 
of state, on the part of the one baptized, is brought 
about. He has heard the gospel, he has believed 
its message, he has repented of his sins, he has 
publicly confessed the name of our Lord; but still 
he is not a member of the Church. His condition 
is just as that of a woman before the marriage 
ceremony is performed. Her name is unchanged. 
The name “Christian” belongs only to those who 


MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH 


59 


have been baptized into Christ. The following pass¬ 
ages set forth definitely the importance of baptism 
according to the teachings of the New Testament. 
Peter said: “Repent, and be baptized every one of 
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission 
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy 
Spirit. ,> Ananias said to Paul: “And now, why tar- 
riest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away 
thy sins, calling on his name.” Jesus said to Nico- 
demus: “Except a man be born of the water and 
of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of 
God.” Who dares to take such words lightly? 


a. To Preach the Gospel. 
Just before Jesus ascended to 
the right hand of the Father, 


3. Duties of 
Members 


he said: “All authority hath been given unto me 
in heaven and on earth. Go ye, therefore, and 
make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them 
into the name of the Father and of the Son and 
of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all 
things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, 
I am with you always, even unto the end of the 
world.” This is the Great Commission. It has 
very fittingly been called the marching orders of 
the Church. There is a tendency on the part of 
a great many Christians to be continually seeking 
out the blessings which the Church has in store 
for them, but not being as diligent to find out what 
God expects of them. From this Commission we 
see that a definite work is laid upon each Christian. 
It is true this Commission was given primarily to 
those present at his ascension, but it is equally as 


60 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


binding upon all of those who have taken upon 
themselves his name. All Christians everywhere 
are to make disciples; are to put forth a definite 
effort to bring men into the Kingdom. They are to 
teach them to observe the things which Christ has 
commanded, and also the things which have been 
recorded by the direction of the Holy Spirit. It 
is impossible for a person to remain an active 
Christian without putting forth definite effort to 
bring others to Christ. We keep ourselves saved 
by saving the lost. 

b. To Grow. Besides the duty of evangelistic 
effort, there is also the duty to develop our spiritual 
lives. ‘'And besides this, giving all diligence, add 
to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to 
knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, 
and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly 
kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity. For if 
these things be in you and abound, they shall make 
you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful 
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ’’ (2 Pet. 
1:5-7). These are the stepping-stones that lead 
from the waters of baptism up to heaven. When 
one has been born into the Kingdom, he is then 
admonished to go on towards perfection. There is 
no stopping-place. There is no place in this life 
where we will have fulfilled, to completeness, any 
of these things. Each of us should strive for 
greater godliness, and to take advantage of all op¬ 
portunities offered us to be built up in this most 
perfect faith. By virtue is meant courage, forti¬ 
tude, manhood. Every Christian is to be a soldier 


MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH 


61 


of the Cross. We are to be willing to endure hard¬ 
ships for the sake of the Kingdom. This knowl¬ 
edge refers to the facts of His calling. “This is 
eternal life, to know thee, the only true God, and 
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Bible study 
is demanded of all Christians. The word “temper¬ 
ance” means self-control. The Christian should be 
master of his own passions and appetites. The 
highest usefulness of many a Christian worker is 
impossible because he has not attained to this de¬ 
gree of perfection. Patience must be had in order 
to overcome the trials that beset one. We are en¬ 
joined to let patience have her perfect work. God¬ 
liness is seeking godlikeness. We are to have an 
instinctive, spontaneous outreaching of our feelings 
for more love, more reverence, more gratitude to 
God. Brotherly kindness is fulfilling the Golden 
Rule. It is to do unto others as you would have 
others do unto you. John, in his Epistle, says: 
“He that lovetli his brother abideth in the light, and 
there is no occasion of stumbling in him.” Also, 
we know that we have passed from death unto life, 
because we love the brethren. Genuine love is 
always expressed by definite concrete acts. This 
love is all-embracing. It includes all men. We can 
measure our Christianity by the number of people 
we love. 

c. To Worship. “Not forsaking the assembling 
of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.” 
Preaching, teaching and gathering about the Lord’s 
table are necessary means for the moral and re¬ 
ligious upbuilding of the individual Christian. The 


62 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


first problem to be solved, at the beginning of every 
successful revival, is to get the church-members to 
attend the services and to take part in the public 
worship. Whenever church-members are faithful, 
regarding the matter of attending public worship, 
you will find a church exercising wide influence in 
the community. Special features in public worship 
are often desirable, but they should never be per¬ 
mitted to interfere with the worship of the entire 
congregation. Go to church prepared to make your 
contribution to the service, and you will go away 
with a blessing. Prepare for the service. 


a. Prayer. Prayer means a 
petition, a request and entreaty. 
To pray is a natural act on the 


4. Privileges of 
Members 


part of man. No man can look about him without 
feeling his dependence upon the Ruler of the uni¬ 
verse. All men who recognize the benefits received 
from others instinctively desire to express their 
gratitude. All men who realize their shortcomings 
have a desire to confess their faults and make 
things right with the divine Ruler. This privilege, 
then, becomes one of the most benevolent acts that 
our heavenly Father has made possible for man. He 
has encouraged him to pray often; to pray every¬ 
where and to pray for all needful things. That our 
prayers will be heard is a fact abundantly set forth 
in the word of God. “And whatsoever ye shall 
ask, in my name, that will I do, that the Father 
may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any¬ 
thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14: 13, 14). 
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to 


MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH 


63 


forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness” (i John 1:9). “And all things 
whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, believing, ye 
shall receive” (Matt. 21:22). Every Christian can 
set forth examples of answered prayer. Some of 
the greatest institutions in the world have been 
founded and built up on prayer. We are to pray, 
having confidence that God is both able and willing 
to bring to pass the things which we need. 

b. Fasting. That this is a means of grace is 
abundantly set forth in the New Testament. “And 
when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their 
hands on them, they sent them away” (Acts 13:3). 
“And when they had ordained them elders in every 
church, and had prayed, with fasting, they com¬ 
mended them to the Lord, on whom they believed” 
(Acts 14:23). The manner in which it is to be 
done is indicated by the following passage: “And 
when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad 
countenance, for they disfigure their faces that they 
may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto 
you, They have their reward; but thou, when thou 
fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face, that 
thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy 
Father, who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth 
in secret, will reward thee openly” (Matt. 6: 16-18). 
As to when we shall fast, we are given no definite 
instructions. It is certain, though, that we should 
do it when we find ourselves face to face with some 
great temptation or trial. As to how long we shall 
fast is also a matter to be decided by each Chris¬ 
tian. The fact that no definite instructions have 


64 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


been given, shows that God has honored us by offer¬ 
ing us this privilege. 

c. Edification. This means to build, to build 
up, to establish and to confirm. The New Testa¬ 
ment meaning has in mind our bodies or our lives, 
which are the temple of God. The blessings of this 
privilege are not as persistently held up to Christians 
as they should be. We are all prone to remain, 
year after year, in the same old rut. This privilege 
makes it possible for us to go forward each day in 
the Christian life. This is to be accomplished by 
meditation, by persistently weeding out our own 
shortcomings, by taking advantage of all oppor¬ 
tunities presented to us for Christian work, and 
by being an active member of our own church 
and Bible school. Wasps are larger the day they 
are hatched out than they ever are afterwards. To 
the shame of many professing Christians, they are 
larger spiritually the day of their conversion than 
they ever are again. The same zeal for spiritual 
things is never again manifested in their lives. This 
privilege is set forth as follows: “Let every one 
please his neighbor for his good to edification” 
(Rom. 15:2). “Wherefore, ye also, since ye are 
earnestly desirous of spiritual gifts, seek them that 
ye may abound for the edification of the church. 
Let all things be done for edification” (1 Cor. 14: 
12-26). It produces spiritual growth. 


0. To Serve. During the 
early centuries of the Church, 
the heathen were put to shame 


5. Opportunities 
of Members 


by the treatment which they received from the 


MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH 


65 


Christians. It often happened that, during a plague 
or some great disaster, the Christians were the only 
ones who would remain and minister to the suffer¬ 
ing and dying. The heathen were likewise con¬ 
vinced of the value of the Christian religion by the 
way Christians treated each other. It should be 
the same to-day. In every community there are 
sickness and suffering. There are many homes that 
ought to be brightened by your visit. One home 
that was recently visited by such a Christian worker 
yielded seven additions to the Church in less than 
six months. Our conduct publishes abroad the 
value of our religion much louder than our pro¬ 
fessions. Our missionaries are winning thousands 
of converts in this way. Humanity is the same 
the world over. The Master said: “He that is 
greatest among you is the servant of all.” 

b. To Teach. When visiting your friends, you 
should find some time to discuss the things pertain¬ 
ing to the Kingdom of God. This wayside teaching 
is most effective. It finds a man in his normal sur¬ 
roundings. It reaches him when he is open for 
suggestions for a better life. Teaching in the Bible 
school is another wonderful opportunity that is open 
to every aggressive Christian worker. Here we 
need the greatest possible consecration and talent. 
By conscientiously doing your work here, you can 
in a few years duplicate your spiritual life a thou¬ 
sand times. The children not only hear you gladly, 
but incorporate your teachings in their own lives. 
Make a special study of some department. See how 
near the ideal you can bring your class. The atti- 
(6) 


66 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


tude of the teacher towards her class is of the 
utmost importance. The following poem should be 
the prayer of each teacher: 

“Dear Lord, I do not ask 

That thou shouldst give me some high work of thine, 
Some noble calling or some wondrous task. 

Give me a little hand to hold in mine; 

Give me a little child to point the way 
Over the strange, sweet path that leads to thee; 

Give me a little voice to teach to pray; 

Give me two shining eyes thy face to see. 

The only crown I ask, dear Lord, to wear 
Is this—that I may teach a little child. 

I do not ask that I should ever stand 
Among the wise, the worthy or the great; 

I only ask that, softly, hand in hand, 

A child and I may enter at the gate.” 

Teaching as a distinct function of the Church 
was recognized at the beginning. “And they con¬ 
tinued stedfastly in the apostles’ teaching.” “And 
every day, in the temple and at home, they ceased 
not to teach and to preach Jesus as the Christ.” 
“I shrank not from declaring unto you anything 
that was profitable and teaching you publicly and 
from house to house.” From these passages it is 
evident that teaching and preaching do not refer 
to the same thing. The New Testament Church 
had its teachers as well as its elders, deacons and 
prophets. Three definite lines of teaching are open 
to the Church. By teaching, the children should be 
brought into Christ, the new converts established 
in Christ, and God’s faithful built up in Christ. 


MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH 


67 


Questions for Review. 

1. Give subjects for first two chapters. 

2. Review questions on Chapters II. and III. 

3. Explain the term “born again.” 

4. What is faith? 

5. What is the foundation of all faith? 

6. How does one manifest his repentance? 

7. What is the value of public confession? 

8. Name two cases of New Testament baptism. 

9. Tell the events as they were recorded. 

10. What do we mean by the word “duty”? 

11. Name eight things that lead us heavenward. 

12. Explain what these terms mean. 

13. What is wrong with a Christian who stays 
away from church? 

14. What is the value of prayer? 

15. What is the New Testament teaching re¬ 
garding fasting? 

16. Explain the term “edification.” 

17. How may a Christian serve in his neighbor¬ 
hood? 

18. Why is a Bible-school class a desirable op¬ 
portunity ? 

19. What communities do you know that need a 
lay preacher? 

20. Who is responsible for the spiritual life of 
these communities? 




V. 

THE MINISTRY OF THE 
CHURCH 


OUTLINE—CHAPTER V. 


1. Its Significance. 

2. Its Division. 

a . Apostles. 

(1) Their Work. 

(2) Their Qualifications. 

b . Prophets. 

c . Evangelists. 

(1) Their Duties. 

(2) Timothy's Work Summarized. 

d . Elders. 

(1) The Terms Explained. 

(2) Their Duties. 

(3) Their Qualifications. 

e . Deacons. 

(1) Their Duties. 

(2) Their Qualifications. 

3. Other Officers. 

a. Their Duties. 

b . Their Qualifications. 


70 


V. 

The Ministry of the Church. 


The word “minister” has in 

1. Its Significance m j n( j to wa j t Qn ^ serve The 

ministry of Jesus furnishes us an ideal example of 
what is intended by the ministry of the Church. 
Jesus said to his Apostles that “whosoever would 
be great among you, let him be the servant of all.” 
When they were seeking the chief places in the 
Kingdom, he gave them to understand that this pre¬ 
eminence could be gained only by service. “Even 
the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, 
but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for 
many.” This idea is found about thirty times in 
the New Testament. It is a sad but evident fact 
that in many churches those who have been called 
to minister have usurped a place of authority. One, 
in this way, may be able to wield a sort of political 
influence, but it is certain that he can not heighten 
his spiritual service. The humility that prompted 
Christ to wash the disciples’ feet is not as evident 
to-day as it should be. In some communities we 
have what may be called a ruling elder. Nothing 
is more foreign to the teaching and spirit of Christ. 

The ministry of the Church 
may very fittingly be divided into 
three general heads. First, the ordinary and the 

71 


2. Its Division 


72 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


extraordinary. This division has reference to the 
service rendered. Again, there is the local and 
universal. This division has in mind the territory 
covered; that is, the extent of territory over which 
the one ministering is to exert an influence. Third, 
the division according to rank. For this purpose, 
they may be arranged as follows: Apostles, prophets, 
evangelists, elders or bishops, and deacons. This 
ministry was not all established at the same time. 
At the beginning of the Church and for sometime 
afterwards, the Apostles had charge of everything 
pertaining to the life and worship of the new 
Church. Later, when the work became too heavy 
for them, there was a division, and some of the 
responsibility was turned over to the seven deacons 
that were appointed. When the church at Jerusa¬ 
lem was scattered, evangelists were sent forth to 
establish the cause in other places. Soon there was 
a body of Christians large enough to justify the 
formation of a permanent organization. When such 
churches had been established, it became necessary 
for the evangelists to ordain local officers who were 
to have supervision of the local congregation. Thus, 
it will be seen that each step was taken to meet a 
real need that had presented itself to the Church. 

a. Apostles, (i) Their Work. The Apostles 
were Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, 
Bartholomew, Matthew, James (the son of Al- 
pheus), Simon Zelotes, Judas and Paul. The apos- 
tleship of Judas was taken away, and, to our 
minds, Paul took his place among the twelve. These 
twelve men were commissioned to do extraordinary 


THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH 


73 


work. First of all, they were to bear testimony on 
behalf of Christ. He said to them: “Ye shall re¬ 
ceive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon 
you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in 
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and 
unto the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts i: 8). 
Besides this extraordinary work, they were also to 
proclaim to the world the conditions of admission 
into Christ’s Kingdom. In Matt. 28:18-20 Jesus 
tells them that all authority has been committed 
into his hands. He therefore commissions them to 
go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them 
into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy 
Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatso¬ 
ever he had commanded them. His promise is that 
he shall be with them unto the end of the world. 
The Apostles also had power to perform miracles, 
signs and wonders. In this way they were to prove 
to the world that they were the true ambassadors 
of a divine Lord. They likewise had power to im¬ 
part this gift to others, in order that these apostolic 
men might likewise be able to convince a gainsay¬ 
ing world. 

(2) Their Qualifications. First of all they 
were required to have had a personal acquaintance 
with the Lord. It was necessary for them to have 
been eye and ear witnesses of all the things which 
they were to proclaim to the world. Their message 
was to be no hearsay message, but the proclamation 
of a personal experience. Again, it was necessary 
that they should have been personally selected by 
their Lord. The selection of Apostles was never 


74 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


committed into the hands of any man. The state¬ 
ment “apostolic succession'’ is of itself a contra¬ 
diction. Again, it was necessary that the Apostles 
be inspired men. This was done in order that they 
might understand correctly the writings of the Old 
Testament, and that they might set forth adequately 
and effectively the facts concerning the New Cove¬ 
nant. Only in this way and by this means could 
the laws and regulations of the New Covenant be 
set up for all time. The laws thus set up were 
perfect. The Apostles had no successors. The 
work which they did was performed once for all 
time. 

b. Prophets. A prophet is one who is under 
the influence of the Holy Spirit; one who speaks 
the thoughts of God, whether these thoughts relate 
to the past, present or future. In Acts 11:27, 28 
we read: “And in those days came prophets from 
Jerusalem to Antioch. And there stood up one of 
them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit 
that there should be a great dearth throughout all 
the world: which came to pass in the days of 
Claudius Caesar.” The prophet was also to reveal 
spiritual gifts. In 1 Tim. 4: 14 we read: “Neglect 
not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee 
by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of 
the presbytery.” Again, the prophets were to dis¬ 
tinguish God’s words from the counsels of men. 
“If any man think himself to be a prophet or a 
spiritual man, let him acknowledge that the things 
which I write unto you are the commandments of 
the Lord.” In Acts 15:32 we also read: “Judas 


THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH 


75 


and Silas, being prophets, also themselves exhorted 
the brethren with many words, and confirmed them." 
The New Testament prophets differed from elders 
and deacons in that they were either chosen directly 
by Christ himself or through the inspired Apostles. 
It seems, from the record in the second chapter of 
Acts, that one hundred and eight prophets were 
qualified at one time. 

c. Evangelists, (i) Their Duties. He is one 
who is a proclaimer of good news. In Eph. 4:11 
it is written: “And he gave some to be apostles; 
and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and 
some, pastors and teachers/’ This clearly indicates 
that he is to be more than a proclaimer. It is here 
recognized as a definite and distinct office of the 
Church. We learn from the recorded facts con¬ 
cerning Philip the evangelist, that his primary work 
was to convert the people; to turn them from sin to 
righteousness. Paul says to Timothy: “But watch 
thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work 
of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry.” Here it is 
definitely stated that Timothy was an evangelist. 
Elsewhere Paul urges him to preach the Word, 
to appoint elders and deacons, and to edify the 
Church. These things do, without question, defi¬ 
nitely set forth the work which the evangelist was 
to do. Timothy’s time was spent going from one 
community to the other, doing these things. His 
whole time was occupied in looking after the orderly 
development and extension of the Kingdom. This 
office to-day is not magnified as it ought to be. 
The tendency is to be satisfied with the territory 


76 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


already taken instead of persistently entering new 
fields. 

(2) Timothy’s Work Summarized. “He was 
to see that none taught anything contrary to sound 
doctrine; that all things were done in love, out 
of a pure heart and a good conscience and of 
faith unfeigned; that supplication, prayer, inter¬ 
cessions and thanksgivings were made for all men; 
that women behaved themselves; that well-qualified 
elders and deacons were chosen and set apart to 
their proper labor; that the disciples were admon¬ 
ished to beware of seducing spirits and doctrines 
of demons. He was commanded also to be a pat¬ 
tern to the believers in word, behavior, in love, in 
spirit, in faith and in piety. To give attention to 
reading, to exhortation and to teaching; not to neg¬ 
lect the spiritual gift which he had received through 
prophecy by the imposition of Paul’s own hands. 
To give himself wholly to the work, that his pro¬ 
ficiency might be manifest to all; not to rebuke 
an old man, but to beseech him as a father, and 
the younger men as brothers, the elder women as 
mothers and the younger women as sisters. Also, 
that those convicted with sin should be publicly 
rebuked before all. That he should follow after 
righteousness, godliness, fidelity, love, patience and 
meekness. That he should fight the good fight of 
faith, and lay hold on eternal life.” 

d. Elders. This fourth class of New Testament 
officers is called variously elders, bishops, overseers, 
pastors or shepherds, and teachers. From the fol¬ 
lowing passage it will be clearly seen that these 


THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH 


77 


names refer to the same office: “From Miletus, 
Paul sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the 
church; and when they were come, he said to them, 
Take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock over 
which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, that 
you be shepherds of the church of God, which was 
purchased with his blood/’ Here we have the 
words “elders,” “overseers” and “shepherds,” all 
referring to the same men. It is impossible to in¬ 
terpret this passage in any other way than that 
these three titles all referred to the same office. 
In Paul’s letter to Titus he uses the words “elders” 
and “‘bishops” interchangeably. He says that Titus 
is to ordain elders, and then states that a bishop 
must be blameless as a servant of God. When a 
distinction is made, it is an ecclesiastical distinction. 
There is no basis whatever in the New Testament. 

(i) The Terms Explained. The word “elder” 
primarily means an old man. Many countries have 
taught that wisdom was to be found only with old 
age. This is especially true of the Hebrews, Ro¬ 
mans and the Greeks. The elders among the Jews 
were the rulers of the people. They took the lead in 
controlling and directing public affairs. As an official 
term, the word expresses the idea of governing. 
This is true of the New Testament use. To do 
this, they must have wisdom and prudence. They 
must be moderate. The word “overseer” occurs 
but five times in the New Testament. It carries 
with it the idea of superintending. One having 
oversight is not only responsible for his own work, 
but also for those under him. The word “bishop” 


78 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


has the same meaning. “Watch-care, superintend¬ 
ence, management and control of the interests of 
the church are the duties indicated by the word 
'bishop.’ ” The words “pastor” and “shepherd” get 
their significance from pastoral life. God’s people, 
from Abraham down, have been much occupied 
with this kind of labor. Jesus was himself the good 
Shepherd. He was the chief Shepherd. This would 
imply that they were the subordinate ones. As the 
shepherds care for the sheep, so were these officers 
to have oversight of the church of God. When we 
come to the word “teacher,” we have one that car¬ 
ries with it more honor. Christ himself was the 
Teacher. The modern demand that pastors shall 
be pulpit orators, that they shall draw people to the 
church by their eloquence, is not a Scriptural re¬ 
quirement; but it is necessary that they shall thor¬ 
oughly know the word of God and to be able to 
teach their people. The stability of every congre¬ 
gation depends, to no small degree, on the kind of 
teaching which it receives both from the pulpit and 
in the Bible school. 

(2) Their Duties. Their work is limited to 
the local congregation with which they are identi¬ 
fied. Here, they are to be the shepherds of the 
church of God. They are to see that public services 
are properly and regularly conducted. They are to 
go from house to house, visiting the sick, seeking 
out the oppressed and broken-hearted, giving en¬ 
couragement to the weak and seeking those who 
have gone astray. It is their duty to delegate, 
to the various members of the church, work, the 


THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH 


79 


performance of which will build them up in the 
Kingdom of God. Furthermore, they are to teach 
the people. They are to give them sound doc¬ 
trine. They are to have supervision not only of 
the pulpit, but likewise of the Bible school and all 
other activities of the church. It is also enjoined 
upon them to carry out any necessary discipline in 
their congregation. In Heb. 13: 17 we find: “Obey 
them who have the rule over you; and submit your¬ 
selves, for they watch for your souls as those who 
must give account.” These duties, then, may be 
summarized: First, preaching, teaching, instruction, 
exhortation; second, those which include the ideas 
expressed by the words “ruling,” “authority,” “gov¬ 
ernment,” “management,” “‘watch-care” and “dis¬ 
cipline.” 

(3) Their Qualifications. “A bishop must 
be blameless; the husband of one wife; vigilant; 
sober; of good behavior; given to hospitality; apt 
to teach; not given to wine; no striker; not greedy 
of filthy lucre; but patient. Not a brawler; not 
covetous; one that ruleth well his own house; 
having his children in subjection with all gravity; 
for, if a man know not how to rule his own house, 
how shall he take care of the church of God? 
Not a novice, lest, being lifted up with pride, he 
fall into condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he 
must have a good report of them which are with¬ 
out, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the 
devil” (1 Tim. 3:1-7). These qualifications may 
be very fittingly classified under three heads. First, 
those relating to his personal character. He is, 


BO HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


first of all, to be a man—honorable and upright. 
He is to be polite, gentle, to keep himself free from 
the love of gain. His life is to be above reproach. 
Second, he is to have the ability to teach. He is 
to be able to successfully rebuke false teachers. 
To do this, he must be a constant student of the 
word of God. In the third place, he must have 
administrative ability. He must possess a sound 
mind and good judgment. If he is self-willed and 
contrary and hard to get along with, it is impossible 
for him to be a Scriptural elder. This administra¬ 
tive ability is to be manifested in his own home. 
These qualifications set up a high standard; but the 
Church of God, the bride of Christ, must have such 
men to oversee its work or it will fail to fulfill its 
intended mission. 

e. Deacons, (i) Their Duties. Throughout 
the Epistles we learn that elders and deacons were 
appointed for all of the new congregations. Their 
primary work was to serve. The first seven deacons 
were appointed to look after the temporal affairs of 
the early church. In this particular case they were 
to look out for the widows and others who needed 
temporal assistance. The word applies to servants 
at a feast or a servant of the church. Nowhere in 
the New Testament is it said that they were to 
either preach or teach. They are, of course, ex¬ 
pected to be leaders in spiritual things, but not in 
an official way. To look after the secular work 
of the church was the limit of their duties. They 
are to have charge of the church building and are 
to look after needed repairs. They are to have 


THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH 


81 


charge of the finances of the church; to see that all 
obligations of the church are properly and promptly 
met. It is their duty to serve the people with the 
emblems from the Lord’s table; to see that the 
house of God is kept clean and comfortable for 
all public services. Their work, while not on the 
same plane as that of the elders, is nevertheless an 
important work. The efficiency of every church 
depends, to a great extent, upon the prompt, syste¬ 
matic and faithful discharge of the duties of the 
men who have been called to this office. The best 
business men in the church should belong to the 
board of deacons. 

(2) Their Qualifications. “Likewise must the 
deacons be grave, not double-tongued, not given to 
much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre, holding the 
mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. And 
let these also first be proved. And then let them 
use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. 
Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderous, 
sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be 
husbands of one wife, ruling their children and 
their houses well. For they who have used the 
office of a deacon well have purchased for them¬ 
selves a good degree and great boldness in the 
faith which is in Jesus Christ.” At least three 
qualifications, then, are required for every one who 
seeks the office of a deacon. He must be a man 
of honest report, one who has not made an attempt 
to take advantage of his neighbor, one who will be 
an example to the community in which he lives. 
He must, furthermore, be a Spirit-filled man. He 
( 7 ) 


82 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


3. Other Officers 


must be pious. He must have a genuine concern 
for God’s Kingdom. And, in the last place, he must 
have wisdom. The sterling worth of the elders and 
deacons of every church will do more towards over¬ 
coming prejudice and spiritual indifference, in a com¬ 
munity, than any other one thing. 

a . Their Duties. In order 
to hold property and to exercise 
the functions of a legal institution, other officers are 
also required. The specifications set forth concern¬ 
ing the elders and deacons were necessary for the 
spiritual life of the church. The temporal affairs 
have been left to the good common sense of the 
members of each congregation. All church prop¬ 
erty must be deeded to trustees. They hold the 
property for the congregation. These trustees are 
to be consulted whenever the property is to be used 
for other than regular church services. It is their 
function to protect the church, as the trustees of 
any other institution. Their number will vary ac¬ 
cording to the amount of work to be done. Some 
congregations have only one trustee. Others have 
five. It will, however, be found best to always 
have as many as three. The business of the church 
must also be conducted in an orderly way. For 
this reason, each congregation has its own clerk, 
who is to keep a record of all of the business trans¬ 
acted by the church, either the public assemblies 
of the congregation or the meeting of the church 
board. He shall also keep an accurate list of the 
church membership. It is his duty, when instructed 
by the congregation, to issue letters to those who 


THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH 


83 


are moving into other communities. The funds 
of the church, likewise, require supervision. Some 
careful business man should be selected to act as 
church treasurer. It is his duty to receive the funds 
that are taken in by the deacons, and to pay out the 
same as instructed by the congregation or by those 
acting for the congregation. 

b. Their Qualifications. These officers may 
either be or not be elders or deacons of the congre¬ 
gations. When the congregation is small, it may be 
advisable, or even necessary, to have them act in 
both capacities. If, however, the membership is 
large, it is better that a man be assigned only one 
position to fill. By so doing, a large number of 
men are definitely enlisted. This will make the 
church board more representative. From the stand¬ 
point of moral and religious integrity, they should 
be the equal of elders and deacons. This is both 
desirable and necessary, if the church is to get and 
to hold its proper place in the community. Two 
offices were held by some of the men whose work 
is set forth in the New Testament. Philip was one 
of the seven deacons. We likewise learn that he 
did the work of an evangelist. 

In the Kingdom of God there are really no 
minor positions. When a man renders a neces¬ 
sary service he has done his duty. A painstaking 
trustee has often furnished the congregation a 
comfortable church home. A prompt, businesslike 
treasurer will always inspire the confidence of the 
community. 


84 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


Questions for Review. 

1. What is the significance of the word “min¬ 
ister” ? 

2. How is the ministry of the Church divided? 

3. Who were the Apostles? 

4. What was their peculiar work? 

5. What were their qualifications? 

6. Who were the New Testament prophets? 

7. How did they differ from the elders and 
deacons ? 

8. What was the work of the evangelist? 

9. What words are used in the New Testament 
for the elders? 

10. Explain the meaning of the words. 

11. What were their duties? 

12. What were their qualifications? 

13. What were the duties of the deacons? 

14. State their qualifications. 

15. What other officers are necessary? 

16. What are their qualifications? 

17. Name the subjects of the first four chapters. 

18. Review the questions in Chapter IV. 


VI. 


THE ORGANIZATION AND GOV¬ 
ERNMENT OF THE CHURCH 


85 


OUTLINE—CHAPTER VI. 

Introduction. 

1. How to Start a Church. 

2. Ordination of Officers. 

a . Form of Ordination. 

b . Order of Ordination. 

c . How Select Officers. 

3. Term of Office. 

4. Church Discipline. 

a . Its Purpose. 

b . Method of Procedure. 

c . Why Often Neglected. 

5. Congregational Independence. 

6. Right to Co-operate. 

7. Things to Remember. 


86 


VI. 


The Organization and Government of the 
Church. 

The Church, as an organized institution, is one 
body. “For as we have many members in one body, 
and all the members have not the same office, so 
we, being many, are one body in Christ; and every 
one members one of another” (Rom. 12:4, 5). 
“For we, being many, are one bread and one body, 
for we are all partakers of the one bread” (1 Cor. 
10: 17). “There is one body and one Spirit, even 
as you are called in the one hope of your calling” 
(Eph. 4:4). The one body of Christ is divided 
into local congregations as a matter of convenience. 
The efficiency of the Church is the thing sought 
for. It is certainly not desirable to have a greater 
number of congregations than are necessary for 
adequately doing the work of the Church. Every 
member of the one body is under obligations to 
God and his brethren to co-operate with some local 
congregation. We are, before God, a member of 
the congregation which is most convenient for us 
to attend, regardless of the fact whether we have 
presented our letter or not. The custom of church 
letters and of extending the right hand of fellow¬ 
ship is not for the purpose of receiving members 
in the local congregation, but simply a recognition 
87 


88 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


of the membership which already exists. The sin 
of indifference on the part of many professing 
Christians, regarding this matter, can hardly be esti¬ 
mated. Every child of God must fairly and squarely 
meet his obligations to the one body. 


In the formation of a new 
congregation, there are but two 
ways to proceed. The evangelist 


1. How to Start 
a Church 


may come on the field, and, by holding a meeting, 
may bring enough people into the Kingdom out of 
which to organize a congregation. Practically all 
of the churches spoken of in the New Testament 
were organized in this way. Again, it sometimes 
happens that, in a new community, there will be a 
number of Christians move in from various sections 
who, being moved by a common purpose, will seek 
each other out and form themselves into a local 
congregation. This has been true in most of our 
new States, like Oklahoma. Here we often have 
the very best material from a number of congrega¬ 
tions where the work has been well established. It 
often happens, in the beginning of a new congre¬ 
gation, that there is not sufficient nor satisfactory 
material for a definite organization. When this is 
true, some one should be set forward as a leader. 
This leader should take charge of the Lord’s table 
as well as supervise the work of the members until 
they are developed to the point where a Scriptural 
organization may be effected. Those who lead this 
infaUt church should be modest, consecrated and 
above reproach. They should have a sincere desire 
to lead the congregation to a better life. . 


ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNMENT 


89 


2. Ordination of 
Officer* 


In the foregoing chapter the 
officers of the local congregation 
have been named. Before they 


take up their duties they should be solemnly set aside 
by the congregation to do the work of their respective 
offices. Ordination is a solemn election and appoint¬ 
ment of those who are to have oversight over both 
the services and the members of the Christian com¬ 
munity. This election or appointment is to take 
place by the co-operation of the whole community. 
Having it definitely set in mind that an ordination 
is a covenant, let us note what this covenant im¬ 
plies. The church believes it necessary, for its own 
defense and development, that some such persons 
must be put in authority. It realizes that what is 
everybody's business is never satisfactorily done. 
The church should never forget the fact that it 
has a definite responsibility resting upon it for the 
salvation of the community in which it is located. 
This can not be done unless certain ones be set 
forth, who are duly qualified to lead in rendering 
such services. The church further agrees to sub¬ 
mit to them and to hold up their hands in the work 
they are striving to do. With this definite under¬ 
standing in mind, the church proceeds to select its 
leaders and to duly ordain them for this definite 
work. 

a. Form of Ordination. Ordination is to take 
place by means of fasting, prayer and the imposition 
of hands. “And the saying pleased the whole mul¬ 
titude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith 
and of the Holy Spirit; and Philip, and Prochorus, 


90 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicho¬ 
las a proselyte of Antioch, whom they set before 
the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid 
their hands on them” (Acts 6:5, 6). “And as they 
ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit 
said, Separate to me Barnabas and Saul, for the 
work whereunto I have called them. And when 
they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands 
on them, they sent them away” (Acts 13:2, 3). 
“And when they had ordained them elders in every 
church, and had prayed with fasting, they com¬ 
mended them to the Lord, on whom they believed” 
(Acts 14:23). Such ordination usually takes place 
at the morning service. The morning meal should 
be omitted. Those to be ordained should spend the 
hours in prayer and serious meditation. They should 
strive to bring themselves to realize fully the signifi¬ 
cance of the covenant they are about to take. If 
the congregation already has elders, it is a duty of 
such elders to lay their hands upon those being 
ordained. This is to be done for and in the name 
of the congregation. If there are no such elders, 
members of the congregation may set forward some 
of their own number who shall act for the congre¬ 
gation or the congregation may call on visiting min¬ 
isters and elders to do this work for them. It 
should, however, be kept definitely in mind that the 
ordination comes from the local congregation. 

b. Order of Ordination. At the conclusion of 
the ordination sermon, those who have been set for¬ 
ward for ordination shall come to the front and 
face the congregation. The one who has in charge 


ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNMENT 


91 


the ordination service will then ask: “Are these the 
men you have selected to have the spiritual over¬ 
sight of this congregation ?” The congregation will 
rise and say: “They are.” The candidates will then 
be asked: “Do you desire the office of elder or 
deacon?” Each one shall answer for himself: “I 
do.” If others besides elders or deacons are being 
ordained, a like question should be put to them. 
The one having charge of the ordination service will 
then ask: “Will you strive, with God’s help, to be 
examples to the flock over which the Holy Spirit 
hath made you overseers; and will you endeavor to 
learn and to perform the duties of your office to 
the best of your understanding and your ability? 
Let each of you answer for himself, as in the 
presence of God.” Each shall answer: “I will.” 
After this there will be an ordination prayer, during 
which the candidates for ordination shall kneel. The 
prayer should be a direct appeal to God to give 
these men wisdom and devotion sufficient to prop¬ 
erly care for the flock. At the conclusion of the 
prayer, those who are representing the congregation 
in the ordination shall go to the candidates one by 
one and solemnly and impressively say, as they lay 
their hands upon their heads: “Unto you is hereby 
conferred the office of an elder [or other necessary 
name] of this congregation. May God give you 
wisdom to rule well; to take the oversight, not by 
restraint, but willingly.” When this has been done, 
an appropriate benediction should be pronounced. 
It is very important that during such ordination 
services nothing should be done hurriedly or with 


92 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


confusion. All should understand definitely what 
is expected of them before the ordination service 
begins. 

c. How Select Officers. The fact that the 
officers of the congregation are to be selected by 
the congregation does not settle the question of pro¬ 
cedure. In some congregations the chairman asks 
for nominations. These are made, and each man 
is voted on at the time of his nomination. There is 
a serious objection to this method. It often hap¬ 
pens that people, who do not fully understand the 
New Testament requirements, make such nomina¬ 
tions. Recently a new convert twenty years old 
was nominated for the eldership of a congregation. 
It can be seen at once that he would have practically 
none of the qualifications for such an office. In 
order to do away with all such confusion, it is 
much better for the infant congregation to have a 
chairman appoint a nominating committee, who shall 
present their nominations to the congregation for 
approval. The names may be voted on, either one 
at a time or all together. If the church already 
has an organized board, this board should act as a 
nominating committee. In every case, however, the 
election is to take place by the action of the whole 
congregation and at a regular service. 

~ It will be apparent to all that 

3. Term of Office rn .... 

since the officer received his au¬ 
thority from the congregation, the congregation has 
a right to terminate his supervision at its will. The 
idea of once an elder always an elder, is erroneous. 
Since a man can not be elected elder for more than 


ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNMENT 


93 


one congregation, it is certain that he does not carry 
his eldership with him when he moves into another 
community. In other words, he terminates his elder¬ 
ship by his removal from the congregation over 
which he has had supervision. In some churches 
the entire board is elected for just one year. In 
this case confusion is apt to arise; because, if the 
members of the church board do the nominating, 
they must necessarily nominate themselves. If they 
do not do it, the church is then deprived of the 
wisdom and judgment of its best members. The 
plan of the Canton Church is to elect all of its 
officers for terms of three years. One-third of this 
number is elected annually. At the meeting, when 
nominations are to be made, those whose terms of 
office have expired remain away from the meeting. 
The other two-thirds take up the old officers, one 
by one. If there are any reasons why they should 
be discontinued, another name is substituted. In 
this way all confusion is avoided. The names pre¬ 
sented to the congregation are selected by those of 
experience and wisdom, who have the best interests 
of the local congregation at heart. 


a. Its Purpose. According to 
the New Testament, the church 
should exercise discipline in order 


4. Church 
Discipline 


that it may keep itself as perfect as possible. Also, 
in order that it may restore those who have fallen 
into sin. In Gal. 6: i we read: “If a man be over¬ 
taken in a fault, ye who are spiritual restore such 
an one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself 
lest thou also be tempted.” Again: “Brethren, if 


94 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


any of you do err from the truth, and one convert 
him, let him know that he who converteth the sinner 
from the error of his way shall save a soul from 
death and hide a multitude of sins’’ (Jas. 5: 19, 20). 
Discipline is to be exercised with patience, kindness 
and a love for those who are being disciplined. 
Every other thought must be banished from the 
mind, if the spirit of Christ is to be carried out. 
This discipline is often painful on the part of those 
who are to exercise it, but it is a duty that the 
church must perform. “Now, we command you, 
brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that 
you withdraw yourselves from every brother that 
walketh disorderly, and not according to the tra¬ 
dition which ye received from us” (2 Thess. 3:6). 
The purpose, then, of church discipline is to exalt 
and honor the authority of Christ; to keep the 
church pure and to build up its members in Christ, 
by training them to seek a higher and better spirit¬ 
ual life. These objects are high and holy and of 
the utmost importance. 

b. Method of Procedure. “And if thy brother 
sin against thee, go show him his fault between 
thee and him alone. If he hear thee, thou hast 
gained thy brother. But if he hear thee not, take 
with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of 
two witnesses, or three, every word may be estab¬ 
lished. And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto 
the church; and if he refuse to hear the church 
also, let him be unto thee as a Gentile or a publi¬ 
can.” We have here set forth very clearly what 
our duty is in such matters. First, those who have 


ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNMENT 


95 


been offended are to go to the offending party and 
make a sincere effort to have the wrong made right. 
If, however, he does not succeed, the offended party 
is to take the matter to two or three of the brethren 
and take them with him. These witnesses are to 
make a further attempt to bring about a reconcilia¬ 
tion. If this does not succeed, a third effort is to 
be made before the whole congregation. When this 
last effort has failed, the offending party is no 
longer to be treated as a brother, but as an alien. 
This does not mean that efforts to restore such an 
one shall be discontinued, but it means that one who 
so persistently continues in his sin is not worthy to 
be a member of the Church of God. Throughout 
all of this procedure, there should be manifested a 
steadfast firmness on the part of those who have 
the matter in charge. “He that ruleth, let him do 
it with diligence.” There should be no discrimina¬ 
tion. All who have sinned and fallen away should 
be sought out and restored. 

c. Why Often Neglected. If all those who 
are elected elders had all of the Scriptural qualifi¬ 
cations, such matters would be diligently attended 
to. It often happens that the church officers will 
consult the preacher. He may be inexperienced and 
ignorant of what should be done, and, for the sake 
of preserving the peace of the congregation, advise 
that nothing be done. It is certain that all those 
exercising such discipline must themselves be above 
reproach, if the discipline is to be effective. Again, 
it sometimes happens that there is an unholy desire, 
on the part of the church, to have as its members 


96 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


those who will give it social or financial support. 


In all matters pertaining to 


5. Congregational we Jf are 0 f the local COtt- 


Independence 


gregation, the decision of the 


congregation alone is to be final. In the divine 
government there is no such thing as ecclesiastical 
interference. There are no overlords in God’s King¬ 
dom. This is well, because each congregation has 
problems that are peculiar to itself. Its financial 
obligations are its own. The amount of money to 
be raised and the methods of raising it are matters 
to be settled by the local church. Its methods of 
carrying on its benevolent work is a matter for it 
to determine for itself. It often happens that the 
work of the local congregation is seriously inter¬ 
fered with by having those who are unfamiliar 
with local conditions, setting up standards of service 
for the local church. All the congregations should 
strive to have fellowship in every good work, but 
the extent and methods of doing this work is a 
matter to be determined by its own leaders. “Every 
local body of covenanted believers is independent of 
all outward jurisdiction or control, whether from 
assumed vicegerents of Christ, from other churches 
associated with it, or from individuals, being amen¬ 
able directly and only to their common Head.” 


It is certainly desirable in 
matters which affect the common 
interests of all the churches that 


6. Right to 
Co-operate 


there should be co-operation. Few churches are 
able to support an independent missionary. For 
that reason, there should be co-operation in mis- 


ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNMENT 


97 


sionary endeavor. Much inspiration is to be gained 
from conferences, institutes and congresses where 
the various churches assemble for the discussion of 
problems that are common to all of them. The 
development of the Bible-school work is a splendid 
illustration of what may be done by co-operation. 
Religious education is another very important mat¬ 
ter that may be best carried on by the co-operation 
of the churches. It would be impossible for a local 
church to build up independently a Christian college; 
but every congregation should invite the representa¬ 
tives of our colleges to visit them and lay before 
them the need of religious education. Each con¬ 
gregation should also regularly contribute to some 
educational institution. It often happens that, by 
co-operation, the weaker churches can be supplied 
with regular preaching. In union there is strength, 
providing all the strength is not dissipated in keep¬ 
ing up the union. This is not uncommon. 


When we have taken the 
Bible as the revelation of God; 
when we believe that the Church 


7. Things to 
Remember 


is the means God has employed for the redemption 
of the world; when we are convinced that within 
this Church there is a divine system of government 
established of God, and representing his authority 
on earth—we are bound to be brought face to face 
with the following conclusions. We are to go to 
the word of God in order to satisfactorily settle all 
matters relating to the development of our spiritual 
lives. We will likewise be convinced that since 
these laws have been given from God, they are 


( 8 ) 


98 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


not to be treated lightly. Although we may recog¬ 
nize the necessity of spiritual work being done by 
all the disciples, yet we will admit that for the 
proper carrying out of God’s will some men are to 
be chosen and definitely set apart for this service. 
In each community we expect all the citizens to be 
law-abiding, and, as far as possible, maintain the 
peace of the community; but there are certain men 
who are elected by the people who take upon them¬ 
selves this work as their special duty. We are like¬ 
wise compelled to believe that the success or failure 
of a local congregation will be determined, in no 
small degree, by the way it clings to the divine pat¬ 
tern in its own organization. Also that, if it is to 
fulfill its mission, it will strive faithfully to perform 
the work that God has placed before it. All genuine 
organization is for the sake of service. All genuine 
government is for the good of those being governed. 
Again, this Scriptural organization of the local 
congregation is the only organization known to 
the Church. Business organizations may be formed 
by members of various congregations, but such 
organizations are not the Church. Almost every 
religious body has produced one or more such or¬ 
ganizations. Missionary, benevolent and Bible so- 
sieties come under this classification. In such 
organizations, each member can and does only 
speak for himself. If this simple principle had 
been adhered to by the Church, much confusion 
would have been avoided. If the Church will now 
profit by its past experiences, many pitfalls in the 
future will be avoided. 


ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNMENT 


99 


Questions for Review. 

1. Why is the church one body? 

2. Define an infant church. 

3. What two ways may it be developed? 

4. Define ordination. 

5. What is the form of ordination? 

6. Describe how people are ordained. 

7. How are officers to be elected? 

8. For how long are they elected? 

9. What is the purpose of church discipline? 

10. How is church discipline to be carried on? 

11. Why is it so often neglected? 

12. Why are local congregations independent? 

13. When is it well for them to co-operate? 

14. Mention some things we should remember. 

15. Give the subjects for the first five chapters. 

16. Review the questions in Chapter V. 

17. Name one important truth learned in each 
of these six chapters. 





VII. 

THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD 


lti 


OUTLINE—CHAPTER VII. 


1. God’s Eternal Purpose. 

2. Old Testament Proof of God^s Purpose. 

3. New Testament Proof of God’s Purpose. 

4. The Purpose Accomplished. 

5. Completion of God’s Purpose. 

6. The Need of Our Day. 

a . A Missionary Church. 

b . A Comprehensive Plan. 

c . Native Church Co-operation. 

7. Our Foreign Neighbor. 

8. The Sinful. 

9. The Call for an Unspotted Church. 


103 


VII. 

The Church and the World. 


1. God’s Eternal 
Purpose 


Throughout the New Testa¬ 
ment we have various references 
to this revealed mystery. This 
mystery was that the nations of the earth should 
be fellow-heirs and partakers of the blessings which 
Christ gave to the world. The Jews were God’s 
peculiar people to bring about the preparation of 
the world for this blessing. It was the marvel of 
the ages that Christ should be preached to all of 
the nations. God was unwilling that any should 
perish. His plan of redemption was for whosoever 
would partake of the blessings which he had pro¬ 
vided. This universal proclamation was to be made 
by the members of this spiritual kingdom. They 
were to demand faith and obedience as a necessary 
requisite for admission into this Kingdom. During 
all the ages, God had kept silent regarding this 
purpose, but now it was made manifest. The evi¬ 
dence of this eternal purpose is abundantly set forth 
in both the Old and New Testaments. 

“In thee and in thy seed shall 
2. Old Testament a p t h e f am ili es 0 f the earth be 
Proof 

, „ r» blessed/’ was the message 

brought to Abraham. He was 
the father of the faithful. He was to hand down 
103 


104 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


this great obligation and also this great hope. His 
descendants were to be the keepers of the oracles 
of God. Through them the world was to receive 
a proper conception of God. '‘He shall have do¬ 
minion from sea to sea, and from the rivers unto 
the ends of the earth.” “Yea, all kings shall fall 
down before him, all nations shall serve him. His 
name shall endure for ever. His name shall be con¬ 
tinued as long as the sun. All nations shall be 
blessed through him.” This statement was made by 
David. He was looking forward to the time when 
this mystery should be revealed. In this quotation 
it is definitely stated that all nations would be 
blessed through Christ. “It shall come to pass in 
the last day, that the mountain of the Lord’s house 
shall be established in the top of the mountain, and 
shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall 
flow to it.” “Come ye, and let us go up into the 
mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God 
of Jacob.” These quotations are taken from Isaiah. 
Here we have the statement that the nations of 
the earth shall flow into the house of the Lord. 
Those were strange words to the Jews, who looked 
upon themselves as a peculiar people and especially 
favored of God. “For the earth shall be filled with 
the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the 
waters cover the sea.” This is the message that 
was proclaimed by the prophet Habakkuk. By this 
we see that the spreading of the knowledge of 
the glory of the Lord was to be universal. “For 
from the rising of the sun even unto the going 
down of the same, my name shall be great among 


THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD 


105 


3. New Testament 
Proof 

of God’s Purpose 


the Gentiles.” These statements were made by the 
prophet Malachi. From it we learn that every kin¬ 
dred and every tribe were to have this blessing. A 
similar message is proclaimed by other Old Testa¬ 
ment writers; but these are sufficient to abundantly 
prove God’s eternal purpose. 

“Fear not: for, behold, I bring 
you good tidings of great joy, 
which shall be to all people. For 
unto you is born this day in the 
city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” 
This is the message that the angel brought to the 
shepherds. It was not a personal message, but a 
message to be proclaimed throughout the world. It 
is as much for us as for them. “Lord, now lettest 
thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy 
word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which 
thou hast prepared for all people, to lighten the 
Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” Here 
the Gentiles and the people of Israel are definitely 
named and both spoken of as receiving the same 
blessing. The salvation which had been brought 
was as much for one nation as for the others. 
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him 
should not perish, but have eternal life.” The main 
thought of this passage is that whosoever will may 
appropriate this blessing. This proclamation takes 
in everybody. Jesus, speaking of his own death, 
said: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, 
will draw all men unto me.” Christians to-day are 
to lift him up by living the Christ-like life and by 


106 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


teaching his divine message to the nations of the 
world. Are you doing your share? 


The first gospel message was 
proclaimed to the Jews. For 
about eight years the members 


4. The Purpose 
Accomplished 


of the Church were all Jews. It is evident, from 
Peter’s experience at the home of Cornelius, that 
after all these years he still did not understand the 
eternal purpose of God. It took a vision to con¬ 
vince him. The Book of Acts sets forth definitely 
the wonderful success of the first few years of the 
established Kingdom. During the apostolic days 
the gospel was carried to the limits of the Roman 
Empire. Later, when the great wave of barbarism 
swept over Europe, the Church was one of the few 
institutions that remained. During this period of 
spiritual darkness, some splendid things were done 
for the extension of the Church. St. Patrick did a 
wonderful work in Ireland. Christianity was in¬ 
troduced into Scotland by Columba. Gregory the 
Great then sent missionaries into England. From 
these centers Christianity was carried into France, 
Germany and Scandinavia. The coming of Luther 
gave new impetus to this spiritual Kingdom. His 
work started the Reformation. A number of other 
reformers did similar work throughout Europe. 
The work of these men laid the foundation for 
Protestant Christianity. The modern missionary en¬ 
terprise was commenced by William Carey. When 
he first commenced to urge this matter, he could 
find no one who would give him a respectful hear¬ 
ing. After Carey came a great company of mis- 


THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD 


107 


sionaries. The great majority of them earned their 
own living as tradesmen or mechanics. Christianity 
was retarded in many places because the civil rulers, 
who, though themselves professing Christians, would 
not permit the missionaries to do their work. Only 
within recent years have China and Japan been 
open for the gospel. Until the time of Livingstone, 
Africa was an unknown continent. 


A hundred years ago a large 
portion of the world was in¬ 
accessible to missionary activity. 


5. Completion of 
God's Purpose 


This is no longer true. To-day the world is open 
for the message of the gospel. By means of ex¬ 
ploration we have been furnished definite informa¬ 
tion regarding the remotest tribes. Japan, only a 
few years ago, drove the missionaries from the 
land. To-day she is feeling the need of a new 
moral basis for her people. She is looking to Chris¬ 
tianity to furnish this new basis. The people of 
Korea, as one man, have stepped forward and asked 
for the gospel. The indifference of the Chinese is 
a thing of the past. Everywhere there is a will¬ 
ingness, and often a keen desire, to receive the 
message which the missionaries are bringing. This 
revolution has been brought about by the introduc¬ 
tion of Western education. Knowledge has driven 
out ignorance, prejudice and superstition. Only 
recently, in India, subcastes have been abolished. 
Woman is being given her proper place, and pro¬ 
tected. Thousands are to-day asking for properly 
equipped Christian teachers. Throughout the Turk¬ 
ish Empire the situation has changed remarkably. 


108 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


The outlook is more hopeful each year. Ten times 
the number of missionaries and native workers could 
be set to work in Africa. Whole tribes will stay 
up all night to hear the preaching of the mission¬ 
aries. What is true of these fields is true of all 
the heathen world. They are looking to us and 
calling out mightily for consecrated men and women 
who will come and devote their lives to the salva¬ 
tion of the nations. 


a. A Missionary Church. 
Recently an inquiry was sent out 
to a large number of missionaries, 


6. The Need of 
Our Day 


asking them to state what they considered the great¬ 
est present problem in the evangelization of the 
world. Almost to a man they answered, “The 
state of the home Church. ,, There is to-day a 
dearth of missionary leaders. This is true for the 
work both on our missionary boards and in the 
local congregation. We need missionary statesmen 
and not missionary politicians. We need men to 
lead us who have themselves been missionaries, and 
who have thought these problems through. The 
preachers are not informed as they ought to be 
regarding the great problems of the world’s con¬ 
quest. They are too prone to accept second-hand 
information and to make their study of these vital 
problems for the sake of sermonic material only. 
Our young people’s societies should be persistent 
in organizing and maintaining mission-study classes. 
Many a young person, who is now indifferent, can 
be aroused to the place where they will volunteer 
for missionary service by the instruction they re- 


THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD 


109 


ceive in such classes. Every Bible-school lesson 
should have a missionary appeal. The necessity of 
taking the world for Christ should always be held 
up before Bible-school pupils. 

b. A Comprehensive Plan. All great military 
and naval battles are won by consistently following 
out a comprehensive plan. It is just as true in our 
conquests of the world for Christ. The problem 
before us is much larger than many of us are 
willing to admit. It isn't enough for us to sit down 
and say we shall leave Siberia and Tibet for an¬ 
other generation. The scope of our plan must in¬ 
clude all the world. To-day there are large areas 
with absolutely no missionaries in them. One sec¬ 
tion of China that has a population of over twenty 
million has only three or four Protestant mission¬ 
aries. There must be concerted action. It is not 
enough that we all work on this problem, but we 
must all work together. Our plan should be ar¬ 
ranged so that all missionary stations will be able 
to enter into the new fields as they open up to 
them. The home Church should stand back of 
these missionaries in such a way that they would 
never be financially embarrassed while undertaking 
these extension enterprises. In many parts of the 
world missionary stations have been withdrawn be¬ 
cause the yield in converts was not as great as the 
board desired. This is wrong. The Kingdom of 
our Lord should never take a step backward. In 
arranging our local work we should have in mind 
something definite. To be able to support a mis¬ 
sionary, to get definite concrete results from the 


110 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


missionary field, will inspire more enthusiasm than 
any other method that can be presented. All of 
the congregations and all of the organizations of 
the Church should be definitely enlisted in this plan. 

c. Native Church Co-operation. Our mis¬ 
sionary boards realize that the Church will never 
become universal through the efforts of mission¬ 
aries sent out by the various societies. The ulti¬ 
mate victory in every nation will be through the 
native forces. One well-taught Chinaman will do 
more for the conversion of China than any mis¬ 
sionary that can be imported. He understands their 
language, he knows their superstitions, he looks 
out for their prejudices. These native churches 
should be made independent of the missionary so¬ 
cieties as soon as possible. The responsibility should 
be thrown on them. The missionaries’ work should 
consist chiefly in direction and guidance. All who 
have read of Bolenge have been impressed with 
the statesmanlike methods pursued by Dr. Dye and 
his helpers. This should be the ideal for every 
missionary station. We know of no churches in 
the home land where ten members have undertaken 
the task of supporting a home missionary. Since 
evangelism represents the first cardinal principle of 
Christianity, it is important that the new Christian 
should have the obligation of souls put upon him at 
once. This is as true at home as abroad. 


America is the land of prom¬ 
ise. This fact has been heralded 
throughout the world. As a re- 


7. Our Foreign 
Neighbor 


suit, thousands of foreigners are each year coming 


THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD 


111 


to us expecting to find friendship and encourage¬ 
ment, expecting to be free from tyranny and op¬ 
pression. These foreigners are to-day an economic 
necessity. It is impossible for our railroads to get 
sufficient Americans to carry on their construction 
work. In almost every city we find distinctive work 
which they have taken up. We buy our fruit from 
them. We get our shoes shined by them. These 
people should be given a Christian welcome. They 
should be cared for by the Church. It is, how¬ 
ever, no uncommon thing to find a number of such 
foreigners in a community who are absolutely ig¬ 
nored by the local church, although this same church 
regularly takes a missionary offering to send to these 
same people who are living on the other side of 
the world. Recently a young lady who had volun¬ 
teered to go as a missionary to China, refused point- 
blank to go to a local Chinese laundry to do mis¬ 
sionary work. Bishop McIntyre, in the following 
poem, has clearly set before us the prevalent spirit. 
It is wicked, it is sinful, it is wrong. This spirit 
comes from the devil. The Saxon hasn’t always 
been ‘‘the heir of all the ages.” 

“Dago” and “Sheeney” and “Chink,” 

“Greaser” and “Nigger” and “Jap;” 

Who comes far over the foam 
To this land of his heart’s desire; 

To rear his brood, to build his home, 

And to kindle his hearthstone fire? 

While the eyes with joy are blurred, 

Lo! we make the strong man sink, 

And stab the soul with the hateful word, 

“Dago” and “Sheeney” and “Chink.” 


112 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


“Dago” and “Sheeney” and “Chink,” 

“Greaser” and “Nigger” and “Jap;” 

From none of them doth Jehovah shrink. 

He lifteth them all to His lap, 

And the Christ, in His kindly grace. 

When their sad low sob He hears, 

Puts His tender embrace around the race 
As He kisses away the tears, 

Saying, O “least of these,” I link 
Thee to me, for whatever may hap, 

“Dago” and “Sheeney” and “Chink,” 

“Greaser” and “Nigger” and “Jap.” 

The devil invented these terms, I think, 

To hurl at each hopeful chap. 

Jesus said that he came to 
8. The Sinful see k an( J save that w hich was 

lost. It is the primary function of the Church to 
continue the work which he commenced. This is the 
one purpose he had in mind when establishing the 
Church. In another place he says that those who 
are sick need the physician and not those that are 
well. The Church is not to concern itself with its 
own salvation, but with the salvation of those who 
are without. The Church is a battleship and not 
an ark. Its supreme purpose is to carry on a con¬ 
quest against the strongholds of sin and evil. An 
evangelist was recently forbidden to continue a re¬ 
vival service because he persisted in bringing into 
the church people who were said to be undesirable 
to some of those who were already members. It 
is difficult for one to imagine what kind of Chris¬ 
tians such people would be. A pastor recently made 
the statement that his church did not hold revival 
services, stating that he preferred to know person- 


THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD 


113 


ally all those who were invited to join. In a neigh¬ 
boring State a woman who had lived a sinful life 
came forward and made the confession. Her re¬ 
pentance was genuine. Her intentions were high 
and holy. On the following day the minister was 
called on and was informed that if that woman 
were permitted to unite with the church, he would 
lose several of his best members. Situations like 
these are absolutely incompatible with God’s eternal 
purpose, the spirit of Christ and the purpose of 
his divine institution—the Church. The amount of 
money spent for current expenses, as compared 
with the amount spent for the extension of God’s 
Kingdom, outside of the work of the local congre¬ 
gation, usually sets forth the definite spiritual value 
of that congregation. It isn’t enough for us to sit 
idly by and sing “Hold the Fort, for I am Coming,” 
but our song should be “Storm the Fort, for God 
is Leading.” That is a missionary song. 

The spirit of the world is op- 

Unspotted 11 Church P° se< ^ to ^ ie s pi r ^ the Church. 

It does not matter how much 
effort we put forth, we are daily compelled to meet 
the spirit of the world face to face. We are en¬ 
joined to keep ourselves clean and unspotted from 
the world. We are to strive persistently to keep 
ourselves free from the spirit of the world. This 
spirit of the world is that which measures a man’s 
worth by the amount of worldly possessions which 
he has gathered about him. It is the spirit of the 
world that says that temporal blessings are o-f more 
value than spiritual blessings. It is the spirit of 
(9) 


114 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


the world that advises us to look out for number 
one. It says that every man is born with an equal 
chance; that our responsibilities are only those of 
our own household. The spirit of the world says 
that we are to have a good time to-day, for to¬ 
morrow we may be too old to enjoy these pleasures. 
It is not an uncommon thing to find the member¬ 
ship of a church submerged with these ideas. This 
often brings about the question of amusement by 
those who are members of such a church. This 
matter would never be brought up if the church 
were kept free from the spirit of the world. A 
good driver is one who strives to keep as far away 
as possible from danger. A good Christian is one 
who strives to make himself worthy of the blessings 
of salvation, and not one who strives to see how 
near perdition he can go, and yet remain in the 
Kingdom. You never find strong, vigorous Chris¬ 
tians asking: “Do you think it is wrong to dance 
or play cards?” It is always those who have im¬ 
bibed the spirit of the world. Since we have seen 
our responsibility to the world, we should not for¬ 
get that we owe it to ourselves to keep our lives 
pure and above reproach. We are to exalt Christ 
by what we do and say as well as by what we 
believe. As Christians, we are to be the great 
uplifting agency of the world. This uplifting 
power will vary, according to the condition of 
our lives. As Christ’s bride, the Church should 
keep itself unspotted. If it doesnit, the world will 
again fall back into barbarism. 


THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD 


115 


Questions for Review. 

1. Give the subjects of the chapters studied. 

2. State an important fact learned in each 
chapter. 

3. Review, briefly, the questions on each chap¬ 
ter. 

4. What was God’s eternal purpose? 

5. Give three proof-texts from the Old Testa¬ 
ment. 

6. Give two proof-texts from the New Testa¬ 
ment. 

7. What has already been accomplished? 

8. What are our present opportunities? 

9. What is a missionary church? 

10. Name one that fulfills this condition. 

11. What is included under the idea of a com¬ 
prehensive plan? 

12. Why must there be a native co-operation? 

13. What do you think of “Dago” and “Sheeney” 
and “Chink”? 

14. Do you know of sinful people who were kept 
out of the church ? 

15. Why must a Christian remain unspotted? 

16. What have you personally done for the 
evangelization of the world? 





































































I Sy 




















VIII. 


THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY 


OUTLINE—CHAPTER VIII. 


1. Practical Religion. 

2. Righteousness. 

a. As Taught by Moses. 

b. As Taught by the Prophets. 

c. As Taught by Our Lord. 

3. Jesus Not a Socialist. 

4. Universal Peace. 

5. The Christian Home. 

6. Child Labor. 

7. Poverty. 

8. The Workingman. 

9. Temperance. 

10 . An Endless Procession. 


118 


VIII. 

The Church and Society. 


1. Practical 
Religion 


A great deal is said about 
professing Christians and not 
enough about practicing Chris¬ 


tians. James says: “Pure religion and undefiled 
before God and the Father is this, To visit the 
fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to 
keep himself unspotted from the world.” The two 
classes spoken of ^ere, by James, were the most 
helpless in the ancient world. They are still help¬ 
less, and demand of us a practical demonstration 
of the faith we profess. Jesus says that we are 
to do if we are to receive the reward. A man’s 
love for his family is not measured by what he 
says about this love, but by the way he treats his 
family. Just so it is that a man’s religion is meas¬ 
ured by his conduct more than what he says. In 
many a community the work of the church is seri¬ 
ously interfered with because some of the members 
have not kept themselves unspotted from the world. 
This word “unspotted,” as used by James, means 
not filthy, not diseased, not defiled. It is very 
significant. Practical religion is a religion for seven 
days in the week. It is for every community where 
you find yourself. It is for every situation where 
a question of right and wrong may arise. Practical 


119 


120 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


religion won’t leave church letters in a trunk. It 
won’t leave your neighbors guessing as to whether 
or not you are a Christian. “If any man would 
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up 
his cross daily, and follow me.” 

There are two kinds of right- 

2. Righteousness 1t 

eousness. lhe one we may call 
private, and the other public. Private righteousness 
very easily develops into sanctimoniousness. At¬ 
tempts to exaggerate it easily lead to hypocrisy. 
Having it in mind, men are very much concerned 
about what people will think of them. Public right¬ 
eousness has reference to a man’s public acts, to 
his daily conduct. It is manifested by regard for 
others and by love for one’s neighbors. Christ said 
that if he should be lifted up he would draw all 
the world unto himself. This is to be done by 
public righteousness. When the Church centers its 
thoughts on others, the salvation of the world will 
be all but accomplished. The Church was to be 
the salt of the earth, or, to use our own phrase¬ 
ology, the salt of society. It is to keep society 
from putrefying. It is to drive out the evil and 
the bad, to preserve the good and the holy. The 
salt must be carried to that which is preserved. It 
must come in contact with it. The Church is too 
self-satisfied to-day. It is waiting for society to 
come to it. This will never be. The Great Com¬ 
mission was “to go.” The early Church did this, 
and succeeded in a phenomenal way. It is no un¬ 
common thing to find men striving to stand before 
the community as exemplary church-members, and, 


THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY 


121 


at the same time, permit their real estate to be used 
by an agent for fostering crime and debauching 
character. Social righteousness means the actual 
carrying out of the Golden Rule in our daily con¬ 
duct. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, so 
outlines the righteousness that God expects from 
those who seek his favor. 

a. As Taught by Moses. In Leviticus, chap¬ 
ters 17 to 27, we have the thought of holiness set 
forth. The underlying idea of these chapters is 
expressed in these two statements: “I, Jehovah, 
your God, am holy,” and “I am Jehovah, your 
God, which sanctify you.” What the Israelite did 
he did in the name of Jehovah. What the Chris¬ 
tian does, is to be done in the name of Christ. 
Holiness, as set forth in these chapters, is social 
righteousness. The Israelites are told that they 
shall not hate their brother in their hearts; that 
they shall not respect the person of the poor, nor 
honor the person of the mighty. They are not 
to go up and down as talebearers among the people. 
They shall not bear any grudge nor take vengeance 
upon those who have wronged them; but they are 
to love their neighbors as themselves. They are 
called upon to honor the aged and to do no wrong 
to the stranger that comes among them. They are 
to love him and care for him as if he were a 
member of their own family. They are to have 
just balances, just weights and just measures. Le¬ 
viticus has been called the heart of the Bible. This 
may very fittingly be done, because from it we 
derive the greatest institutions and ideals that are 


122 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 

brought over from the Old Testament into the 
Christian dispensation. We will, however, note that 
these ideals of righteousness and holiness are con¬ 
crete things and not simply religious sentiments. 
Jehovah demands righteous conduct on the part of 
those who would receive his favor. 

b. As Taught by the Prophets. They reit¬ 
erated the righteousness taught by Moses. They 
were the champions of the common people. They 
bitterly denounced the privileged classes. Isaiah 
says: “Woe unto them that join house to house, 
that lay field to field, till there be no room; and 
woe unto them that justify the wicked with a bribe.” 
Here we find a strong denial of the right of the 
rich to take away the land from the peasantry, in 
order that they might build up great estates. Amos 
points out the wickedness of throwing the poor man 
into prison because he is unable to pay a trifling 
debt. The wickedness of judges and other officials, 
who accept bribes, is likewise bitterly denounced. 
The prophets plainly set forth the fact that right¬ 
eousness and holiness could not exist where widows 
were oppressed, and the orphans sold into bond¬ 
age, and the stranger unprotected. They set forth 
clearly that wickedness would flourish when special 
influence could set aside the law, and when the 
wealthy could laugh at justice. It isn't necessary, 
at this time, to draw parallels; yet if one will read 
Isaiah, Micah and Amos, he will find much food 
for thought, bearing directly upon our present social 
situation. 

c. As Taught by Our Lord. The progress of 


THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY 


123 


society, nations and the Church have been retarded 
for centuries by the introduction of individualism 
into our common life. No man liveth or dieth to 
himself. We are all a part of one common whole. 
Only when we have a world parliament and a world 
supreme court, can we hope for the highest social 
reconstruction. We get this social ideal from Jesus. 
It is to be realized only when we inculcate into 
society the teachings he gave us. Jesus brought 
salvation to society as well as to the individual. He 
was the first world man. His sympathies embraced 
every kindred and every tribe. Modern industrial¬ 
ism is antichristian. The make-up of society into 
cliques and clans is antichristian. In so far as 
you are molded by these influences, you are anti¬ 
christian. The Lord said, “Thou shalt love thy 
neighbor as thyself/' and this is an injunction that 
can not be explained away. Society grows God- 
ward just in proportion as it fulfills this injunction. 
As I write these lines, the city fire department, sup¬ 
ported by the common people, rushes by to save 
somebody’s private property. When society takes 
the same interest in conserving and saving the 
spiritual life of the community, the social ideals of 
our Lord shall be realized. 

Some writers have called 
3 . Jesus Not a j esus the first great Socialist, but 
in so doing they missed the fun¬ 
damental teachings and purpose of his life. He 
was a religious and moral reformer. He discussed 
social matters just in so far as they assisted him 
in his great purpose. Economic wickedness was 


124 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


wrong. It was denounced by him, not because it 
was bad economics, but because it was bad morals. 
He appealed to men to live righteously in their 
common lives. All vital religion is an outgoing, 
ministering religion. He insisted that men live this 
kind of a life. Jesus well knew, and also taught, 
that when men so lived, the other problems would 
soon be solved. The Socialists are fundamentally 
wrong because they insist on substituting material 
good for spiritual good. A life filled with hate will 
never be happy, no matter how ideal the material 
surroundings. Clothes and shelter and food can 
never be substituted for the supreme end of living. 
On the other hand, a life seeking spiritual ends 
will be a success, even though placed amid un¬ 
favorable material surroundings. In this discussion 
it should not be forgotten that men’s bodies must 
be nourished if their spiritual lives are to develop. 
Also, it must not be overlooked that one’s home and 
companions do determine the possible development 
of the spiritual life. As a Church, it is our business 
to carry forward social righteousness, not as an end, 
but as a means, so that the Kingdom of God may 
run and have free course among the children of men. 

The idea of war is funda¬ 
mentally wrong. War is social 
murder. One nation can not destroy another with¬ 
out doing itself an irreparable injury. One nation 
can not put another into subjection, or demand from 
it a large war indemnity, without stirring up the 
worst there is in the entire nation. To succeed in 
war is yet to lose. It must not be understood that 


4. Universal Peace 


THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY 


125 


in our civilization we have reached the place where 
a nation can expect justice without being prepared 
for war; but it is insisted that the cause of this 
situation is to a great extent due to a failure on 
the part of the Church for not setting forth the 
New Testament teachings on this subject and not 
living up to them itself. What may we expect from 
heathen nations when a nation like England will 
carry on a war for the sake of importing opium 
into China, in order that her merchants in India 
may have an outlet for their product? The New 
Testament teaches against war. Those who live by 
the sword are to die by the sword. Justice is the 
only thing that will exalt a nation. Men have been 
taught to forget the mangled bodies, the rotting 
stench, the widows and orphans and the burden of 
public debt, by having poets write paeans of victory 
and orators set forth the glories of the country. 
The Church of God must not be a partner to such 
carnage. It must teach the message of its Lord 
until swords become plowshares and spears become 
pruning-hooks; until nations learn war no more, and 
until the brotherhood of man be ushered in by the 
federation of the world. 


The home is the social unit. 
The Christian home is its highest 
and best expression. Its life and 


5. The Christian 
Home 


ideals are daily being woven into the fabric of the 
nation. The Christian can render to society no 
higher service than fulfilling to the best of his 
ability his place in the home. The family has its 
basis in marriage. Marriage has both a physical 


' 126 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


and spiritual foundation. In the home, human af¬ 
fection should be supreme and complete. It is the 
affection of soul for soul and mind for mind. Mar¬ 
riage, according to Perkins, is “the union of one 
man and one woman so long as they shall both live, 
to the exclusion of all others, by an obligation which 
during that time the parties can not, of their own 
volition and acts, dissolve.” The character and 
ideals of the home are always reflected in the chil¬ 
dren. The infancy of man is longer than that of 
any animal. He is capable of more development and 
susceptible of deeper degradation. It is in the home 
that society receives those moral qualities of love, 
justice, patience, temperance and fortitude. The 
supreme purpose of God, as set forth in the insti¬ 
tution of the family, is the formation of a strong 
and pure manhood and womanhood. This can only 
be done by the process of self-sacrifice and self¬ 
surrender. The teachings of our Lord, on these 
matters, are clear and easily understood. With a 
community made up of Christian homes, it will 
be impossible to introduce the debasing ideals and 
standards of living that are now threatening our 
nation. Christian homes mean a Christian nation. 

.. If you want your heart made 

6. Child Labor . , , 

sick, if you want to know to 
what depths of degradation our industrial system 
has dragged us, go to the factory towns of England 
or the cotton-mill towns of the South. Liverpool 
is almost industrially wrecked because of the blight 
it has cast over the lives of its children. Whole 
sections of the South have been almost depopulated 


THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY 


127 


by the cotton-mills in that district. Aristotle said 
that slavery could only be abolished by the intro¬ 
duction of machines. We now have our machines, 
but our slavery is many times worse than that which 
Aristotle knew. Children have always worked, but 
it is only since the introduction of machinery that 
their work has been turned into slavery. Open-air 
domestic work is good for children; but when the 
child goes into a great factory, throbbing with the 
vibrations of swift and intricate machines, he be¬ 
comes dazed. A mental and physical arrested de¬ 
velopment takes place. He becomes a part of the 
thing which he works. Thousands of children are 
working to-day in stench, in heated rooms where 
their little figures and little feet are kept in ceaseless 
action, forced into unnatural activity by treatment 
that should be unknown in a Christian civilization. 
Only within the last few years has there been a 
serious attempt put forth to bring an end to such 
conditions, but capital has neither morals nor ideals. 
Its interests are always and everywhere expressed 
in cash dividends. The laws are evaded. Those 
whom the State set forth, to guard the children, 
are bribed. According to the census of 1900, there 
were over a million seven hundred thousand chil¬ 
dren, under sixteen years of age, who were buying 
our economic prosperity by the sacrifice of their 
lives. The Church of God should arouse itself and* 
fulfill its mission to these unfortunate children, res¬ 
cue them from a life that is worse than death, and 
develop them in the best that our Christian civil¬ 
ization affords. 


128 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


The Master said that the poor 
7. Poverty WO uld always be with us. The 
principles which he annunciated have always had a 
tendency to reduce poverty. It inculcates, in the 
lives of his believers, a constant benevolence and 
unselfishness. There is, on the part of Christians, 
a continual imparting of their wealth to the neces¬ 
sities of the less fortunate. Christianity would dis¬ 
courage the excessive accumulation of wealth. It 
teaches its adherents to have sympathy with those 
who are poor. Although Jesus did not authorize 
any special plan for doing this work, it is certain 
that there would be no need of the great number 
of benevolent societies and organizations, that have 
been called into existence, had the Church retained 
its early vision. There are many causes for poverty, 
but the most important are these: sickness, unem¬ 
ployment, low wages, accidents, friendlessness, over¬ 
crowding, ignorance, desertion and vice. As we look 
these causes squarely in the face, we can see that 
the Church here finds a wonderful opportunity for 
service. Every institution prospers only according 
to the quality and quantity of its service. A strong 
church is always a serving church; and in no place 
will the church receive such large returns as from 
its ministry to the poor. Most of the poverty that 
surrounds us is bred by neglect, ignorance and greed 
for gain. When every church-member has incul¬ 
cated in his life the practical working out of the 
Golden Rule, poverty will all but be driven from 
the land. Three lines of definite action might be 
suggested. First, the church ought to be made 


THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY 


129 


aware, through its workers, of the actual conditions 
of the community. There ought to be a commit¬ 
tee appointed for this definite work. Second, there 
should be co-operation on the part of the church- 
members so that the benevolences would be properly 
distributed. Conditions should always be investi¬ 
gated before any assistance is given. Third, there 
should be persistent friendly visiting. During these 
visits, helpful suggestions should be given the fam¬ 
ily and everything possible done for their relief and 
assistance. Such relief must be definite. 


Many writers have tried to 
classify society so that these men 
would occupy a special classifi- 


8. The Working¬ 


man 


cation. All such attempts are failures. Thousands 
of these workers are staying away from the church, 
not because they are workingmen, but because they 
refuse to be patronized. These men are men. 
Whenever they are so approached they give a glad 
response. Too many silly men and women have 
tried to reform them with all kinds of ineffective 
welfare work. As a result, they have become dis¬ 
gusted with the institution in whose name these 
workers have gone out. The word of God, backed 
up with a sincere appeal by a genuine Christian man 
or woman, will win. Is your church a social club? 
Is there dissatisfaction when the poor and wayward 
enter it? Is there a disposition, on the part of the 
members, to look down upon poorly dressed men, 
women and children? If so, then you know why it 
is so difficult to get workingmen and their families 
to identify themselves with the church. Love is a 


(10) 


130 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


universal language. Livingstone talked with the 
native Africans in it. There are no men who can 
not be reached for Christ and his Kingdom if they 
are approached in this spirit. 

The liquor business must 
9. Temperance come to an e nd. The manhood 

and womanhood of America say that it shall con¬ 
tinue no longer. A thing that drags the souls of 
one hundred thousand people into the bottomless 
pit each year can not be made right. There is not 
a single argument set forth, by the friends of the 
business, but what has been answered long ago. 
The chief responsibility to-day lies with the church- 
members. If to-morrow they would all take a stand 
against the business, eight million women and chil¬ 
dren would be free from the slavery of being tied 
to a drunkard. When clergymen hold stock in the 
breweries, how can you expect them to fight the 
business? When church-members will take an ex¬ 
cessive rental for their property, from the business, 
how can you expect them to fight it? Two billion 
dollars a year are taken out of the wages of our 
people by the liquor traffic. In return we get 
broken hearts, ruined homes, misery, poverty and 
suffering. There are no privileged characters in 
spiritual matters. You and I must stand before 
the Judge of all the earth and answer for what we 
did not do in stamping out this business. Wrong 
is wrong, and church membership can not make it 
right. Wrong is wrong, and a majority of voters 
can not make it right. Right is right and wrong 
is wrong, everywhere and always. Rightness and 


THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY 


131 


wrongness do not depend upon a shifting ethics or 
a personal inclination. They do not come and go 
with the changing weather. When the morning 
stars first sang together, during the present march 
of eternity and on down through the coming infi¬ 
nite number of years, right is right and wrong is 
wrong. They are eternal principles. 


What more shall we say of 
the need of a new era when the 
endless procession of misery shall 


10. An Endless 
Procession 


be brought to an end? What of the millions of 
babies hungry, crying for food, but there is no 
answer ? Babies born in filth and wretchedness. 
Their little hearts have turned towards the great 
heart of the world, but they have been met by 
the hard fist of its cruelty. What of the children, 
millions of them also, blear-eyed and pale-cheeked? 
They are not in the family. They are not in the 
factory. They are not in the public schools. Their 
schoolroom is the saloon and the street. What of 
the wretched old? Only a very small fragment of 
the procession that started in infancy. Some sit 
in the tenements amid their rottenness and stench. 
Others in the sweatshop, earning a few cents each 
day. Just enough to postpone the inevitable end. 
On and on the millions come. Does your heart 
ache at the picture? Then, what must it be when 
you come face to face with the reality? For all 
such, Christ died. Shall we not call a halt to this 
procession ? That glad day shall come ere long. 
Men at last shall put their sins of selfishness and 
ambition under their feet. They shall everywhere 


132 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


breathe the atmosphere of love. Everywhere they 
shall walk in the paths of righteousness. At last 
we shall go up the altar stairs to God. We shall 
call him Father, and as we do we shall look over 
the redeemed world and we shall say to all men, 
“Brother!” There shall be no high, no low. All 
shall walk abreast along a highway that leads to a 
heaven-given destiny. 

“Let it never be forgotten that the trouble with 
society to-day does not lie in its industrial system 
or its forms of government, but it lies in human 
nature. The fault is not in outward forms, but 
in inward character. The wrong is not in public 
theory, but in private practice. The evil is not 
social crime, but individual sin. As long as selfish¬ 
ness is the ruling factor in human conduct, there 
will be an under man and an upper man in 
society. Transform the unreasoning and uncon¬ 
trolled selfishness of the units of society into 
rational and regulated love; convert the narrow 
egoism of men into broad altruism, and the sys¬ 
tems of industry that are not in conflict with God’s 
law will soon adjust themselves to the conditions 
of progress. The real obstacle in the way of the 
under man is not competition, but the want of it; 
not the stress of contending with his rivals, but 
the lack of fair opportunity to contend. His pov¬ 
erty must disappear, not before an act of Congress, 
but before his own free, manly act in honorable 
and open contest with his fellows .”—President John, 
of De Pauw University . 


THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY 


133 


Questions for Review. 

1. What do we mean by “practical religion”? 

2. What two kinds of righteousness do we 
have? 

3. Characterize the righteousness taught by 
Moses. 

4. Characterize the righteousness taught by the 
prophets. 

5. Give two quotations that characterize the 
righteousness taught by Jesus. 

6. Why was Jesus not a Socialist? 

7. Why should every Christian contend for uni¬ 
versal peace? 

8. What are the foes of the Christian home? 

9. What influence does the Christian home have 
upon the nation? 

10. Why is child labor permitted to continue? 

11. Why is child labor a national curse? 

12. Why is there poverty in a land of plenty? 

13. How are workingmen to be won for Christ? 

14. Why can not a Christian dodge the temper¬ 
ance issue? 

15. How does the endless procession impress 
you? 

16. Name the subjects of the first seven chap¬ 
ters. 

17. Mention at least one vital truth learned in 
each chapter. 

18. Review the questions for the first seven 
chapters. 












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IX. 




THE CHURCH AND THE 
PREACHER 


1S5 


OUTLINE—CHAPTER IX. 


1. The Office. 

2. The Call. 

3. The Qualifications. 

a. Spiritual. 

b. Educational. 

c. Social. 

d. Business. 

4. How the Preacher’s Time Should be Em¬ 
ployed. 

5. The Preacher and the Church Officers. 

6. Compensation. 

7. Trials. 

8. Temptations. 

9. Reward. 


136 


IX. 

The Church and the Preacher. 


This office is nowhere spoken 
of in the New Testament. Its 
rise and development was a matter of expediency 
just as the erection of church buildings and our 
present use of song-books. Two different situations 
arose that made it both desirable and necessary to 
have men set apart who could give all of their 
time to the spiritual work of the local congregation. 
In the New Testament record we find the evangelist 
going from community to community, gathering in 
the people, forming them into congregations and 
establishing them in the faith. It was also his duty 
to ordain officers, to take the spiritual oversight 
when he left them. In the development of religious 
work, in a given community, the congregation con¬ 
tinued to increase in size until at last it demanded 
as much time and attention as the evangelist had 
previously given to several congregations. The stay 
of the evangelist with the churches was for a 
longer and longer time, until at last one congrega¬ 
tion claimed all of his attention. Again, when the 
officers of a given congregation had been selected, 
the one who was the best speaker, or whose piety 
excelled that of the others, would be put forward 
as a leader. In doing this work he would improve. 

137 


138 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


The congregation would grow in size until at last 
there would be brought about a suggestion on the 
part of the congregation that since there was more 
to be done than the officers could do, and attend 
to their secular work, that this leader devote all 
of his time to spiritual work. When he pledged 
himself to this spiritual work, the congregation 
would pledge itself to give him temporal support. 
By this we see that the preacher should have the 
qualifications of both the elder and the evangelist. 
His work is a twofold work. 

The first requirement is a 
2. The Call . ^ « 

genuine conversion. One who 

plans to take up this work must be absolutely clean. 
There must be, on his part, a supreme purpose to 
proclaim God’s word to a sinful world. There must 
also be a willingness to be used of God; a willing¬ 
ness to enter every door that may be opened to 
him. A young man, to do this work, should have 
a definite understanding of the spiritual needs of 
the world. The weight of the world’s sins should 
press heavily upon him. Paul said: “Necessity is 
laid upon me. Yea, woe is me if I preach not the 
gospel.” Every young man, taking up this work, 
should have that feeling regarding his calling. Like 
the Apostles, he must be willing to forsake all and 
follow his Master. When there is a strong desire 
to enter the ministry; when there is a genuine pas¬ 
sion for souls; when there is a moral earnestness; 
when there is a hungering and thirsting after right¬ 
eousness ; when there is a genuine concern for the 
extension and building up of God’s Kingdom—a 


THE CHURCH AND THE PREACHER 139 


young man or young woman may feel confident that 
God has called them to do for him a special and 
peculiar work. There should always be a clear con¬ 
ception of the sacrifice that is involved. Such young 
people should appreciate the fact that it does cost 
something to turn their backs upon their friends, 
relatives and home and to go forth in the world’s 
conquest for righteousness. To do this work suc¬ 
cessfully, they must have absolute faith in the power 
of God to lead and direct them. They must have 
absolute confidence that God will take care of them 
and provide for their necessities. Lives thus con¬ 
secrated will always bring forth abundant harvest, 
some thirty, some sixty and some a hundred fold. 


a. Spiritual. Piety is an in¬ 
dispensable qualification for every 
one who would do the work of a 


3. The 

Qualifications 


preacher. He is most naturally the example for his 
people. They expect to see the highest quality of 
Christian manhood reflected through his life be¬ 
fore them. His approach to the perfect man Christ 
Jesus should be as near as it is possible for man 
to walk. If he is to draw men to Christ and to 
a higher plane of Christian living, he himself must 
go before them. The matter of piety comes before 
every other qualification. Without it, the others 
are of no avail, and his work as a preacher will 
be a failure. The congregation has a right to 
expect that their man of God be a serious-minded 
man. This piety must be so forceful that it will 
radiate into the lives of his people. A cold, worldly 
minded preacher will always produce a cold and in- 


140 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


different church. The real power of every preacher 
lies in his earnest godliness, and not in acquired 
culture or talents. When this godliness is thor¬ 
oughly entrenched in his life, it will shine out on 
all occasions. It can not be hid. “A heated iron, 
though blunt, will pierce its way even when a much 
sharper instrument, if it be cold, can not penetrate. 
So, if our ministers only be filled with the Spirit, 
who is like fire, they will pierce into the hardest 
hearts where the sharpest wits can not find their 
way. A loving man will always accomplish more 
than a merely learned one. It is not great talents 
that God blesses so much as it is great likeness to 
Christ. ,, 

b. Educational. The preacher must go before 
his congregation with a message. This must be 
thoroughly wrought out of his own life before it 
can possibly influence the lives of others. He is 
to bring to his congregation, not the problems of 
his study, but the results of his own life’s ex¬ 
periences. When he does this, there will be a con¬ 
stant drain upon his resources, and the only recourse 
he has is to be everlastingly working on a new 
message for his people. By perpetually gathering 
together stores of thought and by giving them out, 
he builds up his own intellectual life. His spiritual 
and mental growth is determined by the consistency 
manifested in his work. The man who is forever 
using his old sermons will soon lose interest in his 
message, and in a very short time his congrega¬ 
tion will follow his example. The congregation 
may be simple folk, but there is always an intuitive 


THE CHURCH AND THE PREACHER 141 


understanding regarding the thoroughness of the 
preacher’s preparation. First of all, he should thor¬ 
oughly master the word of God. A portion of 
every day should be definitely set aside for this 
work. All knowledge is helpful, but this is abso¬ 
lutely indispensable. Science, language, history and 
literature are valuable to the preacher only in so 
far as they sharpen and assist him to drive home 
the divine message. 

c. Social. The preacher should, first of all, be 
a manly man. A man who can meet others, and 
converse with them intelligently regarding the things 
of deepest interest to them. The preacher can not 
afford to withdraw himself from the world, because 
his supreme work is to draw the world to Christ. 
This social power and influence is a most valuable 
talent for him to possess. A preacher must be 
able to feel at home with all classes of men. He 
should be deeply concerned regarding all those mat¬ 
ters which affect the life of the people with whom 
he is associating. His friendship for all should be 
genuine. He should always be polite and courteous, 
never permitting the annoyances of his work to 
cause him to lose his self-control. A gentleman will 
never stoop to do a mean thing. He will observe 
the Golden Rule and mete out simple justice to 
every man. His heart will be kind. He will never 
be harsh. He will remember that a soft answer 
turneth away wrath. He will lead his congrega¬ 
tion and community to engage in those social amuse¬ 
ments that are elevating and uplifting. He will 
remember that the social side must be ministered 


142 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


to, and that this work is no small part of the duty 
put upon the church. 

d. Business. In almost every case where an in¬ 
dividual church has experienced an unusual growth 
and development, it will be found that the pastor 
has marked business qualifications. The church of 
God demands the same painstaking care that is de¬ 
manded of any other business organization. What 
it buys should be bought at the lowest possible 
figure. All financial obligations should be promptly 
and regularly met. In order to do this, there must 
be a constant income for the church. The members 
must be taught to give liberally and regularly. If 
the preacher has not had sufficient business experi¬ 
ence to lead his people in doing these things, he 
should put forth a supreme effort to get it. Such 
work as that given by the Sheldon School will be 
a wonderful help to him in acquiring this equip¬ 
ment. It will also give him definite methods for 
carrying forward the business end of the church. 
The utter disregard of the value and use of money 
that is manifested by some preachers, is a disgrace 
to the cause they represent. A preacher who will 
not pay his honest debts is not a fit man to lead a 
congregation morally and spiritually. 

It is an open secret that no 
one preacher can meet the needs 
of every congregation. Every 
man has his own peculiar 
strength. As a result, the use¬ 
fulness of every man will depend, to a great de¬ 
gree, upon his ability to use this strength. One of 


4. How the 
Preacher’s Time 
Should Be 
Employed 


THE CHURCH AND THE PREACHER 143 


the greatest sins of the congregation is preacher 
sampling. To do this, a church has a number of 
preachers come on successive Sundays, and then has 
a meeting of the congregation to see which one they 
want. A near-by congregation recently had seven 
names presented to it for consideration at one time. 
Such a policy as this is not only ruinous to the peace 
of the local congregation, but likewise to the reputa¬ 
tion of the preacher. When it becomes known that 
a preacher has been refused by several congrega¬ 
tions, other congregations begin to look upon him 
with suspicion, when the fact is that he has never 
had the least possible chance of being employed. 
The churches were just sampling. Before a church 
permits a man to come to its pulpit, it should feel 
reasonably sure that it will want him to minister 
to them, providing satisfactory arrangements can be 
made. His case should be settled definitely before 
another man comes to the congregation. Every 
preacher should stand or fall before the congrega¬ 
tion, on his own merits, and not in comparison with 
the merits of some fellow-preacher. Our churches 
should remember that permitting a preacher to leave 
the local congregation is a serious matter. The his¬ 
tory of our churches proves that they are built up 
in proportion to the length of time which their min¬ 
isters serve them. You may canvass the brother¬ 
hood to-day and you will find, in every case where 
a congregation is known abroad for its good works, 
that its preacher has served it for a number of 
years. A change of preachers should always be 
avoided whenever it is possible to do so. On the 


144 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


and the 

Church Officers 


other hand, the usefulness of every preacher is 
measured by the length of his ministry with a given 
congregation. Many churches realize this. 

The preacher is a member of 
5. The Preacher t h e i oca j congregation and has 
the same responsibility as other 
members. Whether or not he 
shall be a member of the board is a matter for 
the congregation to decide. The fact that he is to 
perform the duties of an elder does not mean that 
it is necessary for him to be an elder of the local 
congregation. It is much better, in most cases, for 
the preacher to be an honorary member of the 
board. He will have recommendations to make re¬ 
garding his work and plans to submit for its con¬ 
sideration. It sometimes happens that a matter will 
be decided by a vote that is not unanimous. If the 
preacher votes in such a case, it will identify him 
with one side or the other. He is to be the preacher 
for the whole church, and can not afford, in this 
way, to alienate himself from any of his people. 
The difficulties that often arise between the church 
board and the preacher are brought about by the 
preacher presuming to perform the functions of the 
board. Before the board meeting, it is a good plan 
for the preacher to have conferences with its vari¬ 
ous members regarding the matters to be presented. 
By so doing, the board will have had time to give 
such matters the proper consideration. The more 
work the board does, the more responsibility they 
are required to shoulder, the more efficient will they 
become. The development of the members of the 


THE CHURCH AND THE PREACHER 145 


church is a necessary part of the preacher’s duties. 
^ _ . Sometime ago a preacher and 

6. Compensation , , . , . , 

a lawyer, who had been reared 

in the same community and had graduated from 
the same college, were riding on a train together. 
Each had been away from home for a week. The 
preacher had brought a number of souls into the 
church. The lawyer had won a case in a neighbor¬ 
ing court. The preacher had been given an offering 
of thirty dollars for his services. The lawyer had 
received three hundred dollars as his fee. This 
fairly represents the financial returns that ordinarily 
come to a preacher when compared with men in 
the professions who have a like ability. Preachers 
and teachers can not be paid in money for their 
services; but they should receive sufficient remunera¬ 
tion so that the problem of meeting their necessary 
expenses will not interfere with the performance of 
their spiritual work. The congregation often for¬ 
gets that each year puts new financial obligations 
upon the preacher. If he is to have the influence 
and to lead them as they desire him to do, he must 
spend more money for books. He must attend more 
conventions. He must spend more for travel. Many 
men give the same amount into the church treasury, 
year after year, regardless of how greatly they have 
been blessed with temporal things. A tenth is as 
little as a Christian should give for the extension of 
the work of the Church. When all are doing this, 
God’s Kingdom will go forward by leaps and bounds. 
No definite rule can be laid down for a preacher’s 
compensation, but every congregation should make it 
(it) 


146 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


a point to deal fairly and honorably with the man 
who has forsaken all for the development and ex¬ 
tension of the Church of God. Don’t make his 
employment a matter of barter. 

It is a common experience of 
all preachers that the more faith¬ 
fully they perform their duties to God and the 
Church, the more persistent and constant is the 
opposition they meet with. Worldly men always 
offer opposition to the truth. Even when they 
recognize their own need, they are unwilling to 
accept it. In every community there are wicked 
men who strive to minimize the office and work of 
the man of God. The preacher, likewise, has the 
trial of being misinterpreted regarding what he both 
says and does. It is an easy matter to assign mo¬ 
tives, but people are very seldom successful when 
doing it. Again, it often happens that after years 
of hard labor the preacher will have very little to 
show for his work in the way of visible results. 
This is one of the most severe trials that beset the 
path of a preacher. Again, the man of God is tried 
with the apathy and indifference of the church itself. 
It often seems easier to stir up the godless in the 
community than to stir up members of the local 
congregation. It sometimes happens that a preacher 
is compelled to leave a community because he has 
made a persistent and successful fight against some 
form of godliness, because this godlessness is in 
some way tied up with some members of his con¬ 
gregation. It is a trial for a man, who has turned 
his back upon a successful business career, to have 


THE CHURCH AND THE PREACHER 147 


the well-to-do in his congregation regard him as a 
hireling. His commission comes from God. 


Since the preacher has no reg¬ 
ular hours during which he must 


8. Temptation* 


perform his regular duties, there is a temptation to 
squander his time. It is so easy fo.r him to be side¬ 
tracked that it is no unusual thing for one, two 
or even three days to pass by without having ac¬ 
complished anything definite. There is a temptation 
to neglect some part of the gospel because there 
are prominent and influential people in the church 
that really need that particular truth. There is a 
temptation to devote too much time to some phase 
of religious work. Some preachers are especially 
attracted to pastoral work, and for that reason do 
not study enough. Others study so much that they 
do not keep in touch with the spiritual needs of 
their people and community. There is a temptation 
to devote too much of his time to the people who 
are especially congenial to him. This does not 
mean that he thinks more of them, but simply that 
since they have more in common they are naturally 
attracted to each other. There is a temptation to 
limit his parish to those who are members of his 
congregation. As a preacher, he is God’s repre¬ 
sentative in the community, and, as such, should be 
ready to go to all who need his assistance. 


The life of the preacher is a 
life of love, peace and goodwill 


9. Reward 


to all men. There is no reward in this world as 
great as that which comes to a man who has lived 
such a life as this. No man who lives in a com- 


148 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


munity is remembered so long for his good works 
as the earnest, consecrated man of God. No satis¬ 
faction is as deep as that which comes from know¬ 
ing that those you have led into the church have 
developed into its most steadfast supporters. No 
reward is so satisfying as having the consciousness 
that a multitude of people have been led from 
spiritual bondage into a knowledge of God’s word 
through your life and teaching. It is no small part 
of the preacher’s reward that his thoughts should 
be continually centered on high and holy things. 
The work which he is to do makes it unnecessary 
for him to daily submerge himself in corrupt sur¬ 
roundings. Even when he goes to the sinful, they 
will respect and reverence him for his work’s sake. 
Again, the fruit of his labor is enduring. He builds 
for eternity while others are building for time. No 
one is more welcome into the homes of the com¬ 
munity than he. No one is held in higher esteem 
by the community than he. It would be difficult to 
outline a life that has greater possibilities, both for 
service and for happiness. 

The consciousness of such rewards will always 
transform the whining, despondent minister into 
a cheerful and courageous servant. It will firmly 
implant the spirit of hope in his life. Those who 
have taken upon themselves this work should al¬ 
ways' be filled with praise, thanksgiving and grati¬ 
tude. Our chief concern should be a sincere desire 
to be worthy of the confidence of our brethren 
and a desire to be worthy ministers of God’s love 
to needy and sinful men. 


THE CHURCH AND THE PREACHER 149 


Questions for Review. 

1. What is the twofold work of the preacher? 

2. What constitutes a call? 

3. What is necessary to be successful? 

4. What spiritual qualifications are necessary? 

5. What kind of education is indispensable? 

6. Why must the preacher be a manly man? 

7. Why is a business education necessary? 

8. In what manner should the preacher be em¬ 
ployed ? 

9. What method causes friction? 

10. What is his relation to the church officers? 

11. Why can a preacher not be paid for the 
services rendered? 

12. Name three of his trials. 

13. Name three of his temptations. 

14. What is his reward? 

15. Review questions in Chapter VIII. 

16. Name the subjects for the first nine chap¬ 
ters. 

17. State a leading thought in each chapter. 


X. 


THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE 
CHURCH FOR RELIGIOUS 
WORKERS 


151 


OUTLINE—CHAPTER X. 


1. A Lesson to be Learned. 

2. The Present Situation and Need. 

3. Present Difficulties. 

4. Present Responsibility. 

5. Work to be Done in Local Congrega¬ 

tion. 

a . The Social Meeting. 

b . The Church Institute. 

c. The Church School. 

d. The Lay Preacher. 

(1) What He is Doing. 

(2) How Develop Him. 

6. Work to be Done Through Educational 

Institutions. 

a . Church Schools and Colleges. 

b . The Atmosphere a Church School 

Owes Its Students. 

c. The Ministerial Student. 

d. Your Timothy. 


152 


X. 


The Responsibility of the Church for 
Religious Workers. 

In every city you will find 

1. A Lesion to be , ... , , . e 

Learned large retail stores and large fac¬ 

tories testifying to the fact that 
some men look beyond their own generation. They 
saw the need of men and built for the future. 
These men were not only paid a salary for what 
they did, but were trained for wider usefulness. 
Our college faculties are full of men who have 
received their education in these colleges. Our col¬ 
lege graduates stand for their colleges if the col¬ 
leges have stood for them. Our Government has 
instituted civil service. That means that the nation 
has gone into the business of training men for its 
own use. It has its schools and drill-grounds, look¬ 
ing to the time when more and better men will be 
needed in every department of Government service. 
The Church is consuming its own capital. It is to¬ 
day using up the lives of its religious leaders with¬ 
out having an adequate conception of its future 
needs. The Church must have its West Point. 

In 1894 a canvass was made 

2 . The Present 0 £ fifty-eight schools that were 

Situation and Need f ® . . . . 

preparing Christian workers. At 
that time over four thousand students were enrolled. 

153 


154 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


Twelve years later the total enrollment of these 
same schools had decreased to thirty-three hundred. 
Yet, during this period of twelve years, the mem¬ 
bership of the churches supporting these schools 
had increased twenty-five per cent. These figures 
fairly represent the condition in every religious body 
of America. We have six thousand preachers and 
ten thousand churches. There has been a net loss 
of seven hundred preachers during the past three 
years. These conditions are true in every depart¬ 
ment of religious work. Many of the courses now 
being prescribed for such workers do not have sub¬ 
jects that tend to anchor them in the first principles 
of the gospel. As a result, we not only have a 
falling off in the number, but likewise a decrease 
in the vitality of those taking up the work. We 
need, then, not only men, but men better equipped 
to do the work that needs so much to be done. We 
need strong men—men with heart-power, men with 
a message and a passion for men. 


Recently I was talking with 
a well-known minister who is the 
father of two splendid young men. 


3. Present 
Difficulties 


During our conversation I learned that both of 
these boys were in one of our large universities, 
taking technical training, preparing themselves to 
be civil engineers. Furthermore, the father seemed 
proud of the fact that they were not to follow in 
his footsteps. The attitude of ministers towards 
their work is to me the greatest difficulty of all. 
Parental ambition also interferes with many splen¬ 
did young people. Mammon has not yet lost its 


RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 


15 5 


attractiveness. So long as there is a disposition to 
measure men by dollars, rather than by conduct, this 
attractiveness will continue. Many young people are 
kept out of this work because of the ministerial 
dead-line. This is not a real difficulty. Our churches 
prove that they would gladly welcome a man who 
keeps young and who continues to grow, even 
though he is gray and beginning to become infirm. 
The matter of salary doesn’t keep boys and girls 
out of Christian work, if they are really conse¬ 
crated; and yet we can not blame them for wonder¬ 
ing why the average wage of stablemen and car¬ 
penters should be more than that of the Christian 
minister. In many communities church-members are 
now paying twice as much for living expenses as 
they did ten years ago, but they continue to pay 
the same amount year after year for the support 
of the man of God who ministers to them and their 
family. To-day we need a dedication of our chil¬ 
dren to God. We should prepare a literature that 
will lure our brightest and best young people into 
this, the highest service that man can render to his 
fellow-man and God. It should be done now. 


Every Christian should con¬ 
sider himself a recruiting agent 
for the ministry. This is es- 


4. Present 


Responsibility 


pecially true of its officers and preachers. We have, 
in the Institute, three young men who were enlisted 
by one preacher. There is also a strong probability 
that in the near future two more will enter from 
the same church. The elders and ministers should 
see that this matter is laid before parents and 


156 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


children in sermon and conferences. They should 
freely talk over life plans with the boys and girls 
of the church. John R. Mott was won to the min¬ 
istry by a ten-minute talk with Professor Tyler. 
He is to-day leading our missionary forces in their 
greatest world conquest. Teachers in public schools 
and colleges have a splendid opportunity for such 
work. G. P. Coler, at the University of Michigan, 
has enlisted many young men in Christian work. 
The local congregation should lend encouragement 
and financial aid to young people who are ready to 
enter this work. P. H. Welshimer, I. J. Cahill and 
E. W. Thornton all came from the same community. 
How must this community now regard its spiritual 
work of other years! We should pray the Lord of 
the harvest to send laborers into his harvest-field. 
Is it not robbery for a church to habitually call men 
to its pulpit who have been developed and educated 
by other congregations, and yet refuse to pay back 
this debt of love by enlisting and educating some 
of its own young people? 


a . The Social Meeting. 


5. Work to be There is no way in which the 


Done in Local 
Congregation 


church can better perform its 
responsibility, in developing 


Christian workers, than in maintaining vigorous, en¬ 
thusiastic social meetings—meetings where a large 
number of people take part. Every church should, 
if possible, have full-time preaching. If, however, 
the social meetings are neglected, it is a blessing 
sometimes to have a minister for only half time. 
The usual social meetings, for the church, are the 


RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 


157 


services held on Lord’s Day when there is no 
preaching service, the mid-week prayer-meeting and 
the prayer-meeting conducted by the young people. 
These services may very fittingly be called the spirit¬ 
ual thermometer of the church. The spiritual life 
of a congregation can not be high unless a large per 
cent, of the members are praying members and de¬ 
veloped into active workers. 

b. The Church Institute. A number of 
churches have found this a very valuable means in 
better equipping the workers of the local church. 
Your State and district workers will gladly render 
you assistance. Near-by pastors, who have done 
some part of church work unusually well, should 
be invited to co-operate. From one to three days 
may be used very profitably for such an institute. 
Several churches have conducted them for a week. 
Emphasis should be placed on the practical work 
to be done by the church. When arranging for 
such an institute, care should be taken to present 
something helpful for every department of the 
church. The following programme has been given 
in a number of Ohio churches. It is at least sug¬ 
gestive of what may be done: 

CHURCH EFFICIENCY INSTITUTE. 

PROGRAM. 

Saturday Evening .— 

The Ministry of the New Testament Church. 

The Teaching Function of the Church. 

Sunday Morning .— 

The Child in the Midst. 

The Responsibility of the Church for Religious Workers. 


158 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


Sunday Afternoon .— 

Conferences: 

Bible-school Workers’ Conference. 

The Church and Pastoral Problems. 

Open Parliament. 

Sunday Evening .— 

The Investment of a Life. 

The Church under Commission. 

c. The Church School. This work was first 
taken up by Peter Ainslie in his church at Balti¬ 
more. The courses were arranged to meet the need 
of the local church. All of the instruction is given 
during two evenings of the week. The work has 
now grown until they have a building dedicated to 
this work. Workers from several other religious 
bodies are now taking the instruction. Many of 
the most active members in the Baltimore Church 
have been won through this instruction. A similar 
work is being done by the church in Buffalo. This 
year eleven different courses are offered. At Louis¬ 
ville the work is a little more comprehensive. All 
of the churches in the city have combined and 
organized the Louisville Christian Institute. Two 
evenings a week are given to this work. Twelve 
young preachers are now taking the work. Most 
of these are ministering to near-by congregations. 
Four such classes are conducted in the Canton 
Church. There is an enrollment of 257 students. 
The instruction is given on Tuesday and Wednesday 
nights, from September until March. Such a school 
could be organized in any strong church. It would 
be especially easy to do it in any center of pop- 


RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 


159 


ulation where we have several strong congrega¬ 
tions. The following classes have been satisfactorily 
carried on: Old Testament History, Gospels and 
Acts, Epistles, Homiletics, Pastoral Problems, Mis¬ 
sions, Church Finance, Child Study, Religious Edu¬ 
cation, First Principles, Church History, History 
and Teachings of the Disciples. 

d. The Lay Preacher, (i) What He is Do¬ 
ing. The world will never be brought to Christ if 
the regular ministry alone is to do the teaching and 
preaching. In every church there are from one to 
a dozen men and women who are abundantly quali¬ 
fied to render real service in this way. In Grand 
Rapids a young lady teaches a class of young men 
in her home. She is leading them all towards the 
ministry. At Bloomington, Illinois, there is a travel¬ 
ing-man who goes out regularly prepared to preach 
wherever he finds a vacant pulpit. In Detroit, 
Michigan, lives a railroad conductor who recently 
filled acceptably one of the pulpits in that city. He 
teaches and preaches whenever the opportunity is 
presented to him. At McKeesport a mail-carrier 
has, during the past year, re-established one church 
and led two others into fields of greater usefulness. 
One of the best known churches in America is to¬ 
day being led forward by a man who walked out 
of a business office to serve that church as assistant 
pastor. This is all according to the New Testament 
pattern. Those who established Christianity were 
fishermen, doctors and farmers. Their equipment 
was the word of God and a burning zeal for souls. 
They preached as they worked and they worked as 


160 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


they preached. They established the churches that 
later supported other workers. Hundreds of aban¬ 
doned congregations are to-day testifying to the 
folly of leaving the spiritual success of the local 
church in the hands of its employed ministers. The 
church must be equipped to minister to its own 
spiritual necessities. 

(2) How Develop Him. The development of 
such workers invariably has its beginning with some 
elder or preacher. They will organize a study class 
looking forward to just such work. Some church 
boards have organized themselves into such classes. 
The Bible-school conference for teachers and officers 
has aided greatly. During such conferences the 
need of the community is set forth, often with the 
result that some one will volunteer to begin a new 
work. The more difficult the undertaking, the more 
rapidly will the new leaders grow. Many people 
have been led forward and developed by having 
personal work outlined for them. After being told 
what to do a few times, they are willing to launch 
out for themselves. A church or Bible school 
having definite aims will develop its workers much 
faster than where the work is aimlessly done. To¬ 
day many such workers are getting an enlarged 
vision and enlarged equipment through correspond¬ 
ence courses. From six months to a year of 
such work will bring about a great change in 
the persistent student. When such courses are 
taken, the instruction should give definite aid. 
They should lead the lay preacher into fields of 
greater service. 


RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 


161 


6. Work to be 
Done Through 
Educational 
Institutions 


a . Church Schools and Col¬ 
leges. Education in this country 
was first built up by the Church. 
These educational institutions 
were to pay their debt to the 


churches by equipping men and women to fill up 
‘the ranks and to take charge of new work. The 
strongest men on the faculty were those teaching 
religious subjects. The Bible was the most honored 
text-book in the curriculum. When instituting new 
courses of study the need of the religious worker 
was given first consideration. Financial contribu¬ 
tions have been made to these institutions, largely 
because of the religious workers which they have 
sent out. These religious workers, from the be¬ 
ginning of the nation, have woven their lives into 
the fabric of the constitutions and laws of all of 
our States. To-day the scope of the church school 
is even larger. We expect its graduates to go back 
to the local churches and become the leaders in 
spiritual things. They are to be the efficient Bible- 
school workers. They are to come prepared to 
make a hand-to-hand fight with all manner of un¬ 
righteousness. If the graduates of a school are not 
doing these things, it is a sad day for that insti¬ 
tution. 

b . The Atmosphere a Church School Owes 
Its Students. First of all, its teachers should be 
Christian men who are thoroughly in sympathy with 
the real interests of the Church. An ungodly man 
has no more business in a Christian college than he 
has in a Bible school. Scholarship and degrees are 


(12) 


162 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 

an asset for a teacher, but they are, nevertheless, a 
secondary consideration, since character-building is 
the chief work of a Christian school. Furthermore, 
these teachers should be men who have done things 
in and for the Kingdom; especially should this be 
true of those teaching Biblical subjects. A genuine 
Christian spirit should brood over every church 
school. Righteousness should be absorbed by the 
student out of the classroom as well as in it. Snob¬ 
bishness should not be tolerated. Students should 
be given recognition for their genuine worth. It 
is a duty of our churches to keep in close touch 
with the schools they support, and insist that such 
ideals are realized. Prof. E. E. Snoddy, of Hiram 
College, set forth this thought vividly when he 
wrote: “The closer education is brought to the 
needs of the common people, the more I find my¬ 
self in sympathy with it. Especially is this true of 
Christian education.” 

c. The Ministerial Student. The day is not 
far distant when all of our church institutions will 
have laboratories for their ministerial students as 
well as for the departments of medicine, law and 
physical science. The library and lecture-rooms do 
not solve the problems that confront religious work¬ 
ers when they begin to do real work. The student’s 
message can not be constructive unless he has done 
practical work. Preaching to-day is much more 
than a matter of filling the pulpit twice on Sunday. 
Preaching must be done in the store, office, factory, 
home and street every day of the week. During 
the Middle Ages the preacher was chiefly concerned 


RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CHURCH 


163 


with litany; later he was known for his oratory; 
but to-day his success depends upon his teaching 
ability. The ministerial student must be impressed 
with this vision. He is to be in a real sense an 
educator. His message must be personal and ex¬ 
pository. Men can be inspired only after they have 
been instructed. On leaving school, he should go 
forth with a glowing fire and not simply with a 
bundle of firewood. He must go from school pre¬ 
pared to stir, formulate, voice, proclaim and awaken 
the spiritual life of the community. 

d. Your Timothy. Not long ago I visited a 
man eighty-four years old who has been a lifelong 
active church-member. He assured me that nothing 
in his religious experience had given him such gen¬ 
uine pleasure as the knowledge that he had given 
financial assistance to A. I. Hobbs. He called him 
his Timothy. The Antioch Church, in Illinois, has 
a great rural congregation. They recently dedicated 
a splendid new building, but they are prouder of a 
certain great Missouri preacher whom they assisted 
through school than they are of this building. All 
kinds of living links are good, but when you get 
back of a boy or girl and assist him or her to a 
life of Christian service, you are linking up with 
the multiplication table. This Missouri preacher re¬ 
cently had four hundred additions to the congrega¬ 
tion where he is ministering. This same work may 
be done by an Endeavor society or Bible-school 
class. How many preachers and missionaries do 
you know who came from the homes of well-to-do 
parents? To invest money in men and women is 


164 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


just as real an investment as to invest it in a church 
building. Twenty-five years from to-day your Tim¬ 
othy may be a McGarvey, Duncan or Radford. 

Questions for Review. 

1. What is the lesson to be learned from busi¬ 
ness institutions? 

2. State the present situation and need. 

3. State three of our present difficulties. 

4. Upon whom does the present responsibility 
rest? 

5. What is the educational value of a social 
meeting ? 

6. When are such meetings enjoyable? 

7. What is a church institute? 

8. What work is attempted in the church 
school ? 

9. What subjects are best adapted to this work? 

10. What is the lay preacher doing? 

11. By what method is he developed? 

12. Why must we have educational institutions 
controlled by the Church? 

13. What should be the atmosphere of such in¬ 
stitutions ? 

14. What is the present need of the ministerial 
student ? 

15. What is the Timothy idea? 

16. Name the subjects for the first ten chapters. 

17. Review the questions in Chapter IX. 

18 . How many religious workers has your 
church sent out? 

19 . How much does it give for education? 


XI. 


THE CHURCH AND EVAN¬ 
GELISM 


165 


OUTLINE—CHAPTER XL 

Introduction. 

1. Personal Evangelism. 

a. Individual Responsibility. 

b . Philip the Introducer. 

c. Qualifications for Such Work. 

(1) Allegiance. 

(2) Sympathy. 

d. Its Power. 

e . Some Well-known Results. 

2. Educational Evangelism. 

a . Why Neglected. 

b . The Process of This Evangelism. 

c . Education and Christian Character. 

3. Evangelism by Revival. 

a. Its Method. 

b . Its Abuse. 

c. The Need of the Hour. 


16G 


XI. 

The Church and Evangelism. 

In a former chapter it was stated that the design 
of the Church was to make known the perfections 
of God, to conserve and keep pure the revealed 
Word of truth, and to save the fallen from their 
sins. The last-named function of the Church is 
carried forward by evangelism. The word “evan- 
gel” means good news. To evangelize is to tell 
good news. We have also seen that one of the 
offices of the New Testament church was that of the 
evangelist. It was his work to go from community 
to community gathering converts together and es¬ 
tablishing them into local congregations. Evangel¬ 
istic efforts to-day manifest themselves in many 
forms. State, American and foreign missionary 
societies have been organized to do this work. 
Various organizations within the local church are 
each doing this work in their own way. Many 
individuals and churches acting independently are 
going into unoccupied fields. Although evangelism 
is one of the primary functions of the church, con¬ 
gregations can be found that have not had a single 
convert during the past twelve months. Likewise, 
church-members can be found who have been in 
the church for years, and yet have never led a 
single soul to Christ. Evangelistic effort is carried 

167 


168 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


forward in three distinct ways. They are important. 


a. Individual Responsibility. 
It is no unusual thing to hear an 
expression like this: “We support 


1. Personal 
Evangelism 


our own missionary. We pay our pastor fifteen 
hundred dollars a year. We have just carpeted the 
church/’ There is always a tendency on the part 
of the individual to hide himself in the mass. The 
important thing for each Christian is to look him¬ 
self over and see just what kind of a Christian he 
is; to see just what his relationship is to the church. 
The success of an army is due to the courage and 
fortitude of the individual soldier. The speed of 
a fleet of war vessels is limited by the slowest 
vessel. We should strive to understand “what kind 
of a church would my church be, if all of the 
members were just like me.” How much money 
would be paid for missions? What kind of carpet 
would be put on the floor? What compensation 
would the pastor receive? It often happens that 
the church-members who do the most talking about 
the things that are being done are actually con¬ 
tributing little or nothing towards their accomplish¬ 
ment. In every church too many members have 
pitchforks and not enough have rakes. They are 
willing to pitch the responsibility, and the work to 
be done, on the shoulders of some one else, instead 
of raking it in to themselves, and, with the as¬ 
sistance that God will give them, do their level best. 

b. Philip the Introducer. “Philip findeth Na¬ 
thaniel, and saith unto him, We have found him of 
whom Moses in the law and the prophets wrote, 


THE CHURCH AND EVANGELISM 


169 


Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Where is 
thy brother?” is a legitimate question to be asked 
of every man and woman. The record tells us that 
Philip said, “We have found the Christ,” and that 
he brought Nathaniel to Jesus. This is the greatest 
discovery that any man can make. In this world 
we find things by looking for them—be it money, a 
friend or a Saviour. Andrew knew the Messiah 
by his conduct. The world to-day is to know him 
by your conduct and by mine. Andrew expressed 
his appreciation of having found Jesus by the en¬ 
thusiasm he manifested in introducing others. The 
motto of the Salvation Army is, “Saved to Serve.” 
This is a most worthy motto. It should be the 
motto for every Christian. The greatest joy that 
comes to a Christian life comes by doing and not 
simply by being a Christian. Andrew worked with 
imperfect knowledge. He simply proclaimed the 
facts as he knew them. He was a lay preacher. 
The wonderful spread of Mohammedanism through¬ 
out the world is due to this very fact. Every 
Mohammedan convert feels impelled to introduce 
others to his religion. The service Andrew rendered 
was easy. He simply told what he knew. This 
was done with a single sentence. He delivered his 
message to but one man. As you read the New 
Testament, you will be impressed with the emphasis 
that is laid upon one thing. It was one sheep that 
had gone astray. It was one coin that was lost. It 
was one son that had wandered away from home. 

c . Qualifications for Such Work, (i) Al¬ 
legiance. When becoming a Christian it is ex- 


170 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


pected that every one will swear allegiance to the 
Author of their salvation, to the King of kings and 
Lord of lords. It is expected that every one will 
put supreme trust in this King, and that all of their 
lives will be shaped according to it. God can use 
us only as we trust him. This is true in every busi¬ 
ness and in every profession. The doctor, the law¬ 
yer and the preacher succeed only in so far as they 
can inspire the confidence of others. By this act 
of allegiance God expects us to so conduct ourselves 
that he can count on us at any time. We go to 
God with assurance, asking his aid in time of need. 
The question for you to settle is, Can he come to 
you with the same confidence when he is in need? 
It is considered a disgrace, in the business world, 
for a man to fail to keep his promise. Do you feel 
the same concern for the promises you have made 
God as you do for those you have made your 
friends? 

(2) Sympathy. It is literally true that the 
world is dying for a little bit of love. Genuine 
sympathy is very rare. It is manifested by the 
widespread indifference on the part of thousands 
of Christians, by their utter disregard of the spirit¬ 
ual needs of those about them. Genuine Christian 
sympathy will always manifest itself by that which 
we do for the needs of those about us. It is said 
of Christ that he emptied himself in order that he 
might make possible our own redemption. Personal 
selfishness is the great bar to genuine sympathy. 
Christ had compassion on those about him who were 
weighted down with sin and physical affliction. His 


THE CHURCH AND EVANGELISM 


171 


sympathy went out to them because he had a sin¬ 
cere desire to be of assistance to them. Many of 
us seem to think that when the cross gets heavy 
and when we find ourselves submerged with our 
own spiritual problems, that the only way to get 
relief is to cease to think of others and center our 
attention on ourselves. The burden will never get 
light until we raise our eyes and see the needs of 
others. This sympathy is a matter of cultivation 
and growth. Each day we should make a supreme 
effort to make a definite contribution to some one 
who needs us. 

d. Its Power. The simplest and most direct 
method of evangelism is for Christian people to go 
to those who will not come to church, and talk to 
them about the Kingdom of God. When the world 
refuses to come to church, then the church must 
go to the world. It is much easier to support an 
evangelist with your money than it is to do the 
work yourself; but, by so doing, there is a tre¬ 
mendous loss in your spiritual life. Every congre¬ 
gation ought to have as many evangelists as it has 
members. Every one can speak a kindly word to 
some one out of Christ. The direct, man-to-man 
method is the backbone of our modern industrial 
enterprises. The value of your Christianity must 
be presented and argued if you would have others 
enjoy the blessings that are yours. Beecher once 
said: “The longer I live, the more confidence I have 
in those sermons preached where one man is the 
minister and one man is the congregation.” 

e. Some Well-known Results. When Moody 


172 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


and Sankey were holding their meetings in London, 
they took a drive one Saturday afternoon to Epping 
Forest. While there, several Gypsy boys gathered 
about the carriage. After talking to them for some 
time, Mr. Sankey placed his hand upon the head of 
one of the boys and said, “May the Lord make a 
preacher out of you, my boy.” To-day that boy 
is known as “Gypsy Smith.” A young man, who 
had been drunk for several days, was sitting on 
a park bench contemplating suicide, when a com¬ 
panion came by and asked him to attend a temper¬ 
ance lecture. After much persuasion, he consented. 
The lecture was a very eloquent and convincing 
appeal. As a result, this young man signed the 
pledge. He afterwards became the world’s greatest 
temperance worker—John B. Gough. A Christian 
young man introduced the subject of religion into 
the correspondence he was having with a boy friend. 
At first the subject was ignored, but it began at 
once to bear fruit. After some time this young 
man came to Christ. He later became one of the 
world’s most active Christian workers. This young 
man was Henry Clay Trumbull. 


a . Why Neglected. Many 
parents seem to take it as a mat¬ 
ter of fact that it is necessary 


2. Educational 
Evangelism 


for their boys and girls to go into sin before com¬ 
ing into the church. This is a false standard. By 
following it, many a father and mother have had 
their hearts broken. It is neglected because, in the 
salvation of the world, the boys and girls seem to 
be overlooked. When our evangelists send in their 


THE CHURCH AND EVANGELISM 


173 


reports, it is the usual thing for them to state: 
“All adults but a fewor, “Mostly adults.” What 
about the children of that community? Has it not 
occurred to them that if the children be taken care 
of for a few years, there will be no adults to con¬ 
vert? They will all have long ago been gathered 
into the Kingdom. In our Bible schools there are 
too many teachers teaching without a purpose. The 
purpose of religious instruction is to lead the child 
to Christ. Seldom does it enter into the thoughts 
of thousands of our religious workers that this is 
so. It still happens that few churches have made 
provisions for the children. The great majority of 
our church officers think more of the church furni¬ 
ture and carpets than they do of the souls of the 
children. If you will canvass the results of the 
average revival meeting, you will find that fully 
fifty per cent, of the sinners come from Christian 
homes. Is that consistent? Is that the best that 
we may expect and realize from the nurture and 
culture of Christian parents, teachers and preachers? 

b. The Process of This Evangelism. This 
evangelism takes the child from the cradle to the 
grave without having him spend needless years for 
and with the devil. In our rose gardens we know 
when to expect the rose. On our farms we know 
when to expect the clover, corn and wheat. This 
is also true in spiritual things. We know when 
the child-life reaches out for God. A child that 
has received spiritual instruction and nurture will 
always do this between the ages of nine and thir¬ 
teen. These children are not sinners. They are 


174 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 

children coming into their Father’s house. This is 
the natural thing for them to do—just as natural 
as for roses to bloom in June. Staying away from 
and out of the church is the unnatural experience 
for them. Helen Keller recently wrote that being 
properly born was half of life’s battle. It is just 
as true in spiritual things. Flowers that bloom in 
the hothouse soon shatter their petals. Christians 
that are made at a time of intense excitement, or 
when unusual pressure is brought to bear, always 
find that there is an equal reaction when this ex¬ 
citement and pressure have passed away. Educa¬ 
tional evangelism keeps the results of its process 
gradually growing in grace and in the knowledge 
of the Lord. 

c. Education and Christian Character. Our 
character is formed by following ideals. We be¬ 
come that which we think. When a Bible truth has 
been securely lodged in the heart of a child, it 
begins at once to take root and to bring forth 
fruit. We need not be alarmed because there are 
not so many great evangelists as there were in 
former times. Now the church and Bible school 
are striving to keep themselves in such spiritual 
condition that they do not need a revival. This 
evangelism uses the Bible school, study classes, 
young people’s societies, classes in psychology and 
pedagogy. It works quietly, but with a purpose 
that is wide and deep. It seeks to co-operate with 
all of the services of the church and the nurture of 
the home. It has nothing extraordinary or sensa¬ 
tional to present; yet year by year it adds a great 


THE CHURCH AND EVANGELISM 


175 


number to the churches that make use of its 
methods. Education is not the acquisition of knowl¬ 
edge, but the unfolding of the life and the spiritual 
adjustment of the individual. A good Christian is 
a spiritually adjusted Christian. He creates no 
friction. The history of Christianity is the history 
of the reducing of social and economic friction by 
the process of Christian education. 

a . Its Method. If the two 
^Revival"* y f ormer methods were used effec¬ 
tively, there would be little or no 
need of this one. They are the methods of the 
New Testament. They are the methods of Christ. 
This method of evangelism is intended to stir, to 
its depth, the church and community where it is 
carried on. It makes its primary appeal to fear, 
hope and aspiration. Its emphasis is invariably 
placed on the emotions. Its sermons, illustrations 
and songs are arranged for that purpose. This 
appeal is made in order that a great number of 
people might be moved into the church en masse. 
This method is intended to wake up the hardened 
and indifferent. These classes are found every¬ 
where because the church fails to do its duty twelve 
months in the year. There are Protestant bodies 
that will not average as many converts during the 
year as they have churches. There are thousands 
of congregations that never expect any one to unite 
with them except during a season of revival meet¬ 
ings. 

b. Its Abuse. The great majority of evangelists 
are godly men thoroughly equipped to do this much- 


176 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


needed work. There is, however, a growing num¬ 
ber of men entering the evangelistic field because 
they can not make good as pastors, or find them¬ 
selves unwilling to adjust themselves to the growing 
responsibility that is being placed on the shoulders 
of our pastors. This method of evangelism is be¬ 
coming professionalized. The expression “evangel¬ 
istic company” does not savor of the Kingdom of 
God. It has too much of the materialism of our 
age in it. Scores of churches are looking to these 
revivals to do the work that the church-members 
ought to be doing. They are also looking to them 
to bring them financial relief by bringing into the 
church a number of people who will assume heavy 
financial obligations. These meetings often open 
the doors for all kinds of sensationalism and abuse. 
They also have a tendency to lead the people to 
depend on methods, and not on God, for spiritual 
results. Touching stories, and not the word of 
God, are apt to have the prominent place in the 
sermons delivered. 

c. The Need of the Hour. There are, no 
doubt, many such needs; but with the Church there 
is surely no greater need than cutting loose from 
our base of supplies. Our State, American and 
Foreign Missionary Societies are doing a splendid 
work, but they are bringing us to the point where 
our young people feel that if they are to become 
evangelists they must be sent out by some such 
body. We need to have the volunteer spirit re-em¬ 
phasized. Who sent out the New Testament evan¬ 
gelists? Who supported Timothy and Titus during 


THE CHURCH AND EVANGELISM 


177 


their evangelistic campaigns? What did our mis¬ 
sionary evangelists do for their support before the 
societies were organized? The nations of the world 
and our heavenly Father want men and women who 
are to go everywhere to evangelize the world. The 
how has always taken care of itself. We want 
evangelists in all of the States ready to go to 
the churches and communities where they are most 
needed, and not where it is possible to get the 
largest number of converts. We want a multitude 
of them who are willing to leave their reputations 
with God instead of with men. We have them, 
but we must have ten for every one that is now 
engaged in this work on the firing-line. 

There never was a time when a consecrated 
evangelist could do so much as now. Doors that 
were closed a few years ago now stand wide 
open. There was a time when prejudice kept 
people from hearing the whole gospel proclaimed. 
Now it has all but passed away. The need of 
the hour is for men who will “endure afflictions.” 
The need is for men with sufficient courage to 
proclaim the New Testament message and with 
love enough to draw all men with that message. 
The need is for men with sufficient insight to 
realize that the neglected communities and the 
weak churches demand the services of the strong¬ 
est evangelists. The need is for men who will 
keep in sympathetic touch with the churches they 
establish until these churches are well grounded. 


( 13 ) 


178 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


Questions for Review. 

1. What does the word “evangel” mean? 

2. Why is there an individual responsibility? 

3. What personal lesson do we learn from 
Philip? 

4. How is a Christian to show his allegiance to 
Christ ? 

5. Why is sympathy, for those we would help, 
necessary ? 

6. What is the power of personal evangelism? 

7. Mention some well-known results. 

8. Why is educational evangelism neglected? 

9. How is this evangelism carried on? 

10. How is education related to Christian char¬ 
acter ? 

11. What is the true end of all education? 

12. What is the method of evangelism by re¬ 
vival ? 

13. Why does this method often fail? 

14. What is the need of the hour in evangelism? 

15. Give the titles of the eleven chapters studied. 

16. Review the questions in Chapters VIII., IX. 
and X. 

17. Name a helpful thought gained from this 
chapter. 


XII. 

THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT 




179 








OUTLINE—CHAPTER XII. 


1. The End Sought. 

2. The Conflict. 

3. Death. 

4. The Resurrection of the Body. 

5. The Last Judgment. 

6. The Reward of the Righteous. 

7. Immortality. 

8. The Sunless City. 


180 


Church Triumphant. 

The Church of Christ is the 
only institution on earth whose 
history transcends all time. It is 
the only one whose influence broadens and deepens 
with the passing years, century after century. Our 
Lord said that all power in heaven and on earth 
had been given unto him. This claim of universal 
dominion has been going into fulfillment ever since 
this statement was made. The Church, in its in¬ 
fancy, overthrew the power of the world kingdom 
—Rome. The Church laid the foundation of the 
Germanic Empire. It also led to its destruction. 
The Church was the basis of the civilization of all 
European nations. It was the corner-stone of our 
own republic. All nations have prospered as they 
have lived up to the standard of righteousness set 
forth by the Church. All this is not theory, but 
an historic fact. The Kingdom of Christ never 
had but one ultimate end; that was a Kingdom of 
universal supremacy. All its hopes and prophecies 
make this glorious consummation the ideal for every 
Christian. The Church may falter at times and in 
places, but there is always an advance somewhere 
along the line. The general direction of the move¬ 
ment is always forward. 


The 

1. The End 
Sought 


182 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


2. The Conflict 


The conflict between right¬ 
eousness and wickedness began 
in the Garden of Eden. When Adam fell, all men 
passed under sentence because of his transgression. 
A threefold death was pronounced. Spiritual death 
brought about a separation from God. The sin¬ 
ners were banished from the Garden. Their very 
natures were enveloped in misery, wretchedness and 
pain. “For the mind of the flesh is death, but the 
mind of the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6). 
The Scriptures also plainly teach that there is a 
relation between sin and the death of the body. 
Through sin there came a disorder in our fleshly 
appetite. The sin of death is at work in our bodies. 
This death loses its terrors for the Christian. Death 
is swallowed up in victory. The third death that 
sin brought is eternal death. In Revelation it is 
called the second death. This death is not only a 
punishment for actual transgressions, but also for 
the rejection of the gospel. The rejection of Christ 
is the unpardonable sin. From the days of Eden 
until now, this conflict has been carried on. It 
shall continue until the consummation of the ages. 
The Church is God’s organized army to wage this 
conflict. No man can stand on neutral ground. 

When a Christian, a member 
of Christ’s body, faces this in¬ 
evitable hour, he can say, “O death, where is thy 
sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” It is not 
death, but the act of dying, that makes us afraid. 
Just as we would find it impossible to hold our 
hand on a glass cage, while a serpent strikes on 


3. Death 


THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT 


183 


the other side, so we can not come to death without 
hesitation. We die so that we may live the more. 
After we have entered into our reward, we shall 
realize how little need there was of fear. To re¬ 
turn from it would be death indeed. The only 
preparation that we can make for death is a faith¬ 
ful, righteous life. Colton has said that death is 
like thunder, in that we are alarmed by the sound 
of it and that it is formidable only from that which 
preceded it. We should face death with joy when 
we realize that we are passing out of a life of 
darkness and mystery into a life of light and 
knowledge. Death, to the Christian, is not paying 
a debt, but rather like collecting a note that is 
overdue. That which was worthless is exchanged 
for that which is beyond value. All who are pre¬ 
pared to live are likewise prepared to die. If the 
rewards of immortality were as well understood as 
those of life, men would cease living so great would 
be their desire for death. Milton says that death 
is the golden key that opens the palace of eternity. 
All men must meet death in one of three ways— 
either as a friend, enemy or stranger. If as a 
stranger, death is the victor. If as an enemy, then 
he must be overcome. If as a friend, he is then 
to be entertained. How will you meet it? 


Our redemption is completed 
by the resurrection. This re¬ 
demption has reference to the 
body as well as to the Spirit. 


4. The 

Resurrection of the 
Body 


In the Old Testament, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and 
the author of Job made reference to it. In the 


184 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


New Testament there is a general recognition of it. 
The resurrection of our bodies is compared to the 
resurrection of the body of Christ. Death is neces¬ 
sary for a resurrection. Just as the seed that is 
planted must die in order that new seed may grow, 
so our bodies must die before a glorified body can 
be raised by a resurrection. Paul tells us that the 
difference in the bodies is as the difference between 
the natural and the spiritual. The life we now live 
extends beyond the grave. By means of our res¬ 
urrected bodies, our individuality is likewise thus 
extended. Luther says that our Lord has written 
the promise of the resurrection not in books alone, 
but in every leaf in springtime. The resurrection 
of our Lord is a reality that is also offered to his 
redeemed Church. Our promise is that we shall be 
like him. It is part of our reward. 


As a thief comes in the night, 
so shall the conflict end. Sud¬ 
denly the King shall appear and 


5. The Last 
Judgment 


call upon all to render an account for the deeds 
done in the body. He shall say to those who have 
wrought righteousness to those in his Church, 
“Come, ye who are blessed of my Father.” The 
gates of heaven shall be open for them. The re¬ 
deemed of all the earth shall gather upon the right 
hand of God. At this time human nature will 
attain its utmost height. The image of God will 
be fully realized. The Church, the bride of Christ, 
shall enter in with him into the place prepared for 
it before the foundations of the earth were laid. 
There will also be, at that time of separation, those 


THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT 


185 


who have ignored the Son of God. Those who 
have blasphemed his holy name. Those who have 
wrought evil. Those who have persecuted the 
Church. He shall say unto them, “Depart from 
me, I never knew you.” They shall be banished 
into outer darkness. They shall be forever sep¬ 
arated from the love of God. Their own deeds 
shall have weight to drag them down. The re¬ 
sponsibility shall rest upon them if the Church has 
done its duty in striving to redeem them. There 
shall be no returning, for there is a great fixed 
gulf. In 2 Peter, and the third chapter, we learn 
that this judgment is at the end of the world. 
Here he says: “The heavens that now are, and 
the earth, by the same word have been stored up 
for fire being reserved against the day of judgment 
and destruction of ungodly men.” At this judg¬ 
ment, Christ is to be the Judge. Into his hands 
the Father hath committed all things. The time of 
this judgment is unknown. This judgment is to 
be final. With it the mediatorial Kingdom of 
Christ shall come to an end. This judgment repre¬ 
sents the end of the divine economy looking toward 
the redemption of a lost world. The Church shall 
then have done its work. At this judgment we 
have the final manifestations of God’s condemnation 
of sin. The decrees given at this judgment are to 
last forever. They are final for all men. 


“And every created thing 
which is in the heaven, and on 
the earth, and under the earth, 


6. The Reward of 
the Righteous 


and on the sea, and all things that are in them, 


186 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 

heard I saying, Unto him that sitteth on the 
throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and 
the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for 
ever and ever. ,, Here shall stand the Church of 
Christ: they who are joint-heirs with the Son of 
God. The blessedness of the vision of God shall 
be theirs. “We know that if he shall be mani¬ 
fested, we shall be like him, for we shall see him 
even as he is.” Here the righteous shall have fel¬ 
lowship with the Lord forever. Here the righteous 
shall realize the complete indwelling of the Divine 
Spirit. The spirit of man and the Spirit of God 
shall be one in desire and expectation. All will 
be united in one harmonious spiritual empire. Here 
shall be realized completely both the individual and 
social ideals of trust and brotherly service which, 
in this world, are only dimly anticipated. Here we 
shall have the conscious fellowship of God, and 
realize the same Fatherly care that characterized 
the life of our Lord while he was here with men. 
Here the final goal of the Christian life shall have 
been realized. This shall be the consummation of 
that far-off divine event when Christ shall sur¬ 
render again his authority to the Father, that the 
Father might be the All in All. 

Jesus said to Martha: “I am 
7. Immorta ‘ty resurrection and the life. He 

that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he 
live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall 
never die” (John 11:25, 26). It is also written: 
“God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” 
Throughout the Old and the New Testaments there 


THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT 


187 


is the bold, confident assurance of immortality. It 
is also important to note that among all the nations 
immortality is either assumed or definitely taught. 
Our daily religious experiences demand immortality. 
We have longings that are not, and can not be, 
satisfied in this life. Our spiritual lives are such 
that they demand an eternity in which to be edu¬ 
cated and developed. God has also implanted, in 
each of us, a longing for a life hereafter. All of 
our physical desires are satisfied. It is unthinkable 
that this, the highest of our longings, should not be 
satisfied. The most self-evident fact of human ex¬ 
perience is the fact that back of all experience there 
is a moral system. A system in which right always 
prevails. A lifetime is too short for this system 
to work out its inevitable results. Hence immortality 
is demanded. Those who hope for no other life 
may very fittingly be said to be dead in this one. 
“To assure us of the future existence of the good, 
in a state oi glory and blessedness and in bodies 
changed from mortality to immortality, each of the 
three great dispensations has had its instance of 
translations from earth to heaven. The Patriarchal 
in the person of Enoch, the Jewish in the person ' 
of Elijah and the Christian in the person of Christ.” 
Theodore Parker says: “The dust goes to its place 
and man to his own. It is then that I feel my im¬ 
mortality. I look through the grave into heaven. 

I ask no miracle, no proof, no reasoning. I ask 
no risen dust to teach me immortality. I am con¬ 
scious of eternal life.” The hope of another life is 
the prompting of divinity. 


188 HOW TO SET THE CHURCH IN ORDER 


“And the city hath no need 
of the sun, neither of the moon 
to shine upon it, for the glory 


8. The Sunless 
City 


of God did lighten it, and the light thereof is the 
Lamb.” A city without shadows, for even the 
suggestion of darkness is taken away. In this city 
there is no temple. It is a city that needs no 
church. It is a city that is a church. The Lamb 
is the temple thereof. It is a city where the gates 
are never shut—where there is no fear; where no 
unclean things shall enter. It is a city where there 
shall be no tears; where the marks of all suffering 
shall forever pass away. A city where death shall 
be unknown. A city in which the mourners shall 
never walk about the streets. A city wherein good- 
bys shall never be said; where the salutations of 
all of the people shall always be “Good morning.” 
Pain shall not be in that city. No sad hearts or 
aching bodies shall be there, for the first things 
shall have passed away. Here there shall be no 
more curse. Here the servants of the Lamb shall 
see him face to face, and his name shall be on their 
foreheads. In this city there shall be no more 
night, for the Sun of righteousness shall be there 
forever. In this city there shall be no thirst, for 
the Lamb shall give, to all that are athirst, of the 
fountain of the water of life freely. It is a city 
that lies four-square. Its wall is of jasper. Its 
streets are of gold. The precious gems of im¬ 
mortal life that we lose in this world are, in 
this city, made up into everlasting jewels. 


THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT 


189 


Questions for Review. 

1. Give the subjects of the twelve chapters. 

2. Review questions on first eleven chapters. 

3. What is the end sought? 

4. State the threefold punishment for sin. 

5. What should be the Christian’s attitude to¬ 
wards death? 

6. How must death be met? 

7. Why is redemption complete in the resur¬ 
rection ? 

8. State purpose of the last judgment. 

9. State three things that will take place. 

10. What is the reward of the righteous? 

11. What is ‘'that far-off divine event”? 

12. Name some proofs for immortality. 

13. State five things about the sunless city. 

14. State the most valuable truth you have 
learned. 






























































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